


In the Shadows of Dragons (Part I)

by Demon_Kagetsuki



Series: In the Shadow of Dragons [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls), F/M, Hobbit/Skyrim Crossover, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Three part series covering books and movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-03-25 00:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 72,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3789907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demon_Kagetsuki/pseuds/Demon_Kagetsuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Refridís discovers a hidden room in the Arch-Mage's tower, she has little idea of what it will bring. The news of a dragon in Middle-Earth calls to her and she travels to the strange lands in order to join a band of dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard on a journey to take back their home. ..all while hiding her draconic friend, breaking a curse that haunts her, and uncovering secrets of a past that had long been forgotten. (Slow-burn OC/Kili, three-part series)<br/>Originally posted on FF.net under user Demon-Kagetsuki</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Call of a Quest

**Author's Note:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello everyone! It's been years since this account has been used so my writing might be a little rusty.
> 
> Little bit about me: I only just got into the Tolkienverse and got the opportunity to watch the Hobbit movies recently due to living in the middle of nowhere and have quickly been filling up on fics to pass the time until BOTFA comes out, so I thought "What the hell" and decided to write my own. I’m a HUGE fan of video games and Skyrim is one of my absolute favorites. At some points I was thinking about how cool it would be for Skyrim and the Hobbit to go together and once the idea for this fic buried itself into my head, I simply could not let it go.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this lovingly crafted fic and I look forward to updating it as often as possible!
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

Refridís slumped in a chair of the Archmage’s Quarters in the College of Winterhold before trying to work out the slight chill that had settled in her bones after her long trip from Riften. She had to deal with some trouble that had aroused from the Thieves Guild and had to convince several of the town guards along with calling in a favor from the current Jarl in order to sort it out.

Honestly, she loved most of her members like family but they could use a little more self control with their sticky fingers or, preferably, better training after she had to rescue three junior members from being loaded onto the execution cart. There had been quite a racket at the Ragged Flagon that night when she came down to visit. Livid and dragging the freshly freed young thieves by their cloaks, she demand to see who was responsible for their overview and training. To put it kindly, the thief who had stepped forward had received a tongue-lashing that would go down in the guild’s history and was currently missing his pinky.

The raven-haired Bosmer’s troubles hadn’t stopped after her departure from the city however. She had stopped in the woods two days prior to her arrival to the College to set up camp and hunt for her supper when an unusually large pack of wolves had ambushed her and her horse. While the brave stallion normally fought to defend his rider, it had bolted on this occasion; clearly seeing that to get involved would have disastrous consequences. After Refridís had wiped the wolf blood from her blades and finished cursing at the Divines, she began to trudge through the icy, barren wasteland, not bothering to stop at Windhelm to borrow a ride and was unlucky enough to be caught in a blizzard just in the outskirts of the old ocean-sprayed town. She was not worried about how her horse fared and was certain that at any moment a messenger would arrive to tell her that Frost had made it back on his own at the foot of the college.

Refridís sighed, rubbing her face in an attempt to ward of tiredness before glancing with crimson eyes towards the beautiful glowing center of the room. The small indoor garden, which housed numerous valuable alchemy ingredients, was quickly getting overgrown due to lack of attention it was receiving from its owner.

 _“At least I will be able to have all the ingredients I need for my experiments this month,”_ she thought to herself.

It was with these thoughts that she heard a quiet, hardly noticeable noise and her attention diverted to a sheltered area on the other side of the room. With a dramatic groan, she got up from the chair and walked towards its direction. After looking around for a few minutes, she found that the source of the noise was coming from under a worn carpet. Swiftly pulling it revealed a trapdoor.

 _“Seems like old Savos still had some tricks up his sleeves even after all these years,”_ Refridís thought, smiling sadly at the memory of the former Archmage.

With skilled hands, she quickly picked the lock that kept its contents hidden from any prying eyes and slowly opened the door just in case it set off any trigger traps. When the Bosmer wasn’t set ablaze or poisoned by darts, she descended slowly into the hidden room, keeping her guard up as the noise got louder. The room was unsurprisingly small as it should have been in order to keep it hidden from the rest of the mages, rectangular, and long tendrils of ivy crept along its walls reaching towards a small grime-covered window. It was sparsely decorated with several bookshelves, all filled and some fallen apart due to age, and a rickety desk with a dried-out inkwell, old quills and about a dozen rolls of yellowed parchment scattered on it. What really caught Refridís’ attention, however, was the pristine white fountain that seemed to resist the tests of time located in the center of the room. It was filled with smoking water that stood undisturbed and pulsed with a faint calming blue color accompanied by a slight chiming noise.

Refridís approached the fountain cautiously, staring at it before carefully touching the surface of the water. The water rippled for a few moments before the image appeared.

“Savos Aren?” The figure in the fountain asked, an old man with a long beard and a pointed grey hat.

“No, I am sorry but the former Archmage has been dead for many centuries. I currently hold the title. May I help you?” She responded suspiciously. No one knew of Savos personally except for her, his memories having faded with time, and all that was left for others to remember him by was an old tome that collected dust at the back of the Arcanaeum, which listed his accomplishments.

“My condolences. The news is most troubling as I would have liked to ask him to repay a favor he owes me,” the figure said tugging slightly at his beard.

“Whatever debts or favors the former Archmage had, I am willing to help repay. May I ask who you might be and what it is that you need?” Refridís responded politely.

“I am Gandalf the Grey, Wizard and one of the members of the famed Istari order. I did not so much need his skills as I am in need of his advice. Words have reached me from across your Padomaic Ocean that a dragon slayer of legendary proportion currently roams your lands. I would have asked him if he knew such a character and, if he was in good graces, could pass along the message that a great dragon who goes by the name Smaug currently plagues the people of Middle-Earth and must be dealt with as soon as possible.” The man explained.

Refridís looked at the fountain with a narrowed gaze and frown, “I know of the slayer and their skill though they are very difficult to track down. This news however will interest them greatly.”

The old man smiled through the water, “That is a start at least. If you happen to be lucky enough to find them, could you pass along my message to them? Also, how rude of me, I never asked for your name?”

“It seems that luck shines upon you Gandalf the Grey for I am Refridís Silduaan, the dragon slayer which you seek and I will help your cause,” Refridís answered with a smile.

 


	2. The Traveling Companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello again! I am updating a little bit more of my story because I felt like the first chapter was a little short. This one is much longer and will finish up our time in Skyrim before Refridís sets off for Middle-Earth.  
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

Refridís bade the kindly grey wizard farewell after he informed her of the general location of Middle-Earth. Gandalf had said that she would have to cross the Padomaic Ocean and very few ship that she knew of had gone that far before but they had never returned. Additionally, such a journey would take time that they did not have and gold that could was best saved for other events. Refridís thought through her options and came to a simple conclusion. In order to make such a journey in an appropriate amount of time, she would need help of a very unlikely creature who had been her friend and ally for centuries.

“I just hope he is in a good traveling mood,” she grumbled to herself as she climbed back up through the trapdoor, making sure to seal it tight and recover it with the heavy carpet.

Refridís took off her burdensome heavy armor, not even having had time between arriving and leaving again to change into the appropriate attire of the Archmage, and contemplated on what sort of armor to bring with her.

“Daedric armor would be preferable if I am to face a dragon but that is bound to bring unwanted attention to myself,” She muttered. Daedric armor was a bit flashy and she was not bound to make any allies soon if she looked like she had crawled out of the pits of Oblivion.

She rubbed the back of her neck before turning towards her hefty traveling pack. The bag was specially enchanted to be able to fit all sorts of objects with the only setback being the strength she would need to carry it. As a result, she could fit multiple different armors and weapons for different situations within and not be burdened down by the weight. Remembering one particular set of armor, she gave a humorless laugh at her own stupidity. Whenever she traveled with the intent of completing something for the Thieves Guild she would always wear her Nightingale armor.

“Just what I needed,” Refridís said with a smirk as she pulled out the ebony leathers, “if I am planning to travel as far as this wizard said I would, it would be best to travel light. If I am going to catch this dragon by surprise, I need to make sure all I have all the help I can get.”

She quickly began putting on the armor, making sure the numerous straps wouldn’t get in the way before grabbing her travel pack. She emptied it out of all its contents and carefully picked through the pile of items and junk, grabbing what was only an absolute essential. If she was going to a strange place, she would need the room to store any “souvenirs” that caught her interest.

 While her Daedric armor would remain safely stored in the Archmage quarters, she was not about to leave behind her most faithful weapon, an ancient-looking Daedric Bow of Storms and freshly made arrows behind. She was a master at marksmanship and the thought of leaving it was unthinkable. Along with her enchanted bow, she grabbed her two favored swords, Vampire and Inferno, both Daedric as well and showing their age through carefully tended chips and scratches. While she was much less comfortable with the swords, her Bosmer blood allowing her to handle bows easier than sharpened heavy metal, she was still a nightmare at close range.

Refridís walked around the room, grabbing other things she might need during her journey: plenty of ingredients for helpful potions and deadly poisons, filled soul gems to recharge her enchanted weapons, a Snow Bear pelt that would keep her warm even on the coldest nights, her Nightingale cloak blessed by Nocturnal herself with an invisibility enchantment after her many years of service, several Daedric daggers that she hid in multiple spots within her armor, a pouch heavy with coin, and her journal which contained an unparalleled amount of knowledge regarding Skyrim and everything that lied within her boundaries, a large section specifically dedicated to the many dragons she encountered throughout her years.

She made a final sweep of the tower before heading towards the empty kitchens to grab supplies for both her and her companion. On her way out, she stopped by the announcement board that had been placed for anyone to leave messages on and left a note for all residents. The Bosmer stepped out into the biting cold, the moon had reached it’s zenith and the blizzard had finally dissipated. The old crumbling walkway that led to the college had been reclaimed by the sea centuries before and the only thing left standing were the few pillars that had held it up. Rather than fixing the walkway, the college used it’s absence to test new recruits. Prospective students would have to summon a walkway of their own between the pillars. Anyone who made it to the college was almost guaranteed a spot, those whose magic ran out before reaching the safety of the pillars faced the same fate as the old walkway. Many considered it a horrifying practice but Refridís herself had implemented it so those of weak minds and bendable wills would be dissuaded and not have access to power beyond their control. She refused to have a repeat of the Possessions that nearly destroyed the old building several decades back.

As she reached the end of the path, it did not surprise her to see the form of a pale horse waiting at the entrance.

“Ah Master Silduaan, I was about to send a message to alert you of Frost’s arrival,” a young mage who was sitting by a warm campfire keeping guard said when he noticed her.

“Thank you Jasper but that won’t be necessary. I will not be returning for a very long time, I have left a note that tell everyone that Vaerys is in charge while I’m gone,” Refridís said as she gently patted her horse on the cheek.

“That grumpy old witch? Couldn’t you have put Morrigan in charge?” Jasper grumbled as he stood up and popped his back.

Refridís gave him a stern look of disapproval before gently saying, “Go back inside, no use making you catch your death in this weather when nobody approaches the College for days after a storm”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. We’ll see you when we see you I believe,” Jasper said before hurriedly making his way to the dormitories.

Refridís gave a slight chuckle at the young mage before turning her attention to Frost. This particular Frost was a descendent of the one she had… borrowed… many years ago and had served her exceptionally.

“One last ride before I am to be gone for a while, alright?” she whispered, gently stroking his face, moving his blond mane in order to look at his blue eyes.

The sturdy horse nickered back at her, basking in the attention he was being given. She put her feet through the saddle’s stirrups and hoisted herself on top of him before giving him a gentle order to start walking out of the sleepy village. No one was outside except for several miserable guards who had hidden themselves in eaves of doors or beneath the balcony of the inn in order to avoid the worst of the snow flurries and she gave them a wave as she passed them.

The sparse forests provided little cover as Refridís rode Frost towards their destination. Small bushes of snowberries poked through to pale blanket, their crimson red the only color against the black and whites of her surroundings. Refridís guided her horse through a hidden passage that would cut through the massive cliffs and ended on the rocky beach facing the Sea of Ghosts. She got off her horse and whispered in his ear, “Go to Whiterun, I will attach a message to make sure they take care of you. You will be much happier in the grassy plains than in the icy wastelands waiting for my return”.

Frost snorted at her before bumping her arm and nibbling her hair before she gave him a rub on the star that rested between his eyes. As she walked away, the Bosmer heard him neigh before galloping away towards the south.

Refridís looked towards the rough churning of the sea and thought about the journey ahead. She watched the foaming waters and took a deep breath before shouting into the sky.

“ _ODAHVIING!”_

Her voice echoed through the cold air for a few moments before an answering roar filled the skies. She squinted her eyes, trying to spot her companion in the thick dappled clouds. He suddenly burst through the heavy covering and landed gracefully. The great red Dovah stood proudly in front of her, his scales shining like rubies and his wings the color of silver under the pale moonlight.

**_“Drem yol lok Dovahkiin. Aal Zu’u laan fahvos hi bel zey fod iilah tul rek lok?”_** The mighty Dovah questioned, his voice deep and gravelly. **{ _Greetings Dragonborn. May I ask why you summon me when the moon still dominates the sky?}_**

“Drem yol lok Odahviing. I have summoned you at this time because I ask for the favor of your aid on a journey I must take.” Refridís responded.

“ ** _Oo? And where will this wundaak take us?”_** Odahviing asked. **{ _Oh? And where will this journey take us?}_**

“Across the Pandomaic Ocean, to a land called Middle-Earth. It is a far journey and I would not have asked of such a favor should I be able to arrive there in a reasonable amount of time myself. Unfortunately, both you and I know that there is no one who would be willing to risk such a journey.” Refridís answered.

**_“Vrah. It will be a long journey but it has been quite a while since I Gelingrah dii viing ko lingrah bod.”_** The mighty dragon said. { ** _Yes. It will be a long journey but it has been quite a while since I stretched my wings with a long flight}_**

Refridís smiled, ecstatic that her long time Dovah companion was willing to make the journey, “How long will it take you to be prepared for the journey?”

**_“Ziin omaar wah gejahrii dii skerah.”_** Odahviing responded. _{ **Two hours to fill my stomach}**_

“I will be waiting for you here.” Refridís said as she sat down in a sheltered area of the cliff face.

Odahviing took off from the ground with a mighty push of his wings giving off a sound like a thunderclap and flew into the more forested areas where prey could be found. Refridís followed his giant form with her eyes until he was out of sight.

In the silence following the conversation and after facing her old friend, she thought about the many things she lived to see. The loss of all her memory before she was around 140 years old, almost being executed,  Skyrim’s bloody Civil War, the rise and fall of emperors and jarls through the ages, Dawnguard, the Miraak Event, The Second Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel’s Great War, and most recently The Possessions. The one event that truly stuck with her through the centuries, however, was The Dragon Crisis and the amount of dragons she had slain only to be replaced with more, the echoing voice of Alduin as he cursed her before his death.

**_“Aal hi neh siiv drem ful lingrah ol dov lahney!”_ **

Refridís shuddered at the memory and how she had not understood what Alduin had truly cursed her with until she had been stabbed through the gut when a barfight had gone wrong only to be brought back by the very things she hunted. The dragon souls that she had absorbed had the ability to bring her back from the brink of death, against her own will and as young as when she had first faced the dreaded World Devourer. While the Altmer were spitefully jealous that she had regained the fabled immortality of the Aldmeri, she attempted to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The task was not as easy as she would have thought it to be. No deadly poison she took, no blades of thousands that believed her young and inexperienced, no impatient Daedric Princes who came to collect their “payment”, no disease, no freezing or boiling breaths of Dovahs, and not even flinging herself from the top of the Throat of the World allowed her to meet her desired end. She refused to get involved romantically after seeing her lover grow old, wither and die without her being able to follow. She didn’t even have any blood descendants to remember him by as they discovered early in their marriage that she could not bear any children.

With this dreaded immortality, she threw herself into research. Capable of multiple lifetimes, Refridís gained an unparallel amount of knowledge and wisdom. She was a very capable Archmage; able to explore the entirety of Draugr and Falmer infested Nordic barrows and Dwemer ruins without being detected; open even the most complicated of locks; smith some of the best quality armor and weapons which she sold for large profits, the quality of the work and her silvertongue convincing people to do almost anything for her goods; and was probably the best marksman in Tamriel.

 It was only in the last century of research that she had discovered a lead that brought with it a shred of hope. She had spent her early years deciphering and translating the text of Dovah into something that was understandable. To her, speaking Dovahzul was as easy as taking a breath of air though the grating growls and roars of the speech would often leave her with a sore throat so she did it sparingly. Refridís had however found out what Alduin had said at their last fateful encounter.

**“ _May you never find peace so long as dragonkind live!”_**

Using that wording allowed her to find a way to get out of his curse, a loophole. To kill all Dovah and to devour their souls. While it was the souls keeping her alive with every dovah she killed, she knew that in the end it would be worth the peace of fading. Her only regret would be that she would have to kill even the Dovah who she had grown to befriend. She had told her discovery to Odahviing, the only companion who stayed through her lifetimes, one quiet night on the peak of the Throat of the World. He had been silent for a moment only to reply that he would gladly give his life when the time came. A world without dragons would lead to a lonely existence in which he would enjoy the welcoming embrace of death. She had yet to tell Paarthurnax as the old Dovah had taken a troop of free dragons and traveled to somewhere hidden in the world to live peacefully and away from humanity. Someday she would have to find and slaughter the rescued, a thought that greatly troubled her.

She sighed, quickly shaking her head to clear her mind. She was being selfish, believing that others should die in order for her to have peace. To exterminate an entire race simply so she could move on with her life but didn’t she deserve it after everything she had done for her world? Didn’t she deserve a rest?

She frowned as she thought about the slow spiral to insanity that turned the first Dovahkiin into a monster that threatened the very existence of the world so many ages ago in Solstheim.

_“I guess you die a hero or become the villain,”_ Refridís thought to herself and looking up to see Odahviing’s form appeared over the field of pines.

“Ready?” She asked him.

**_“Nuk.”_ ** **_ {Ready} _ **

“I wish to visit some places before we depart for our quest.”

**_“Very well.”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always welcomed!


	3. Arrival on Middle-Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> I think I am going to change the update times to whenever a chapter is completed because honestly I am so full of ideas that I can't help but write them down. I will probably switch to weekly updates when college starts however in two weeks. Hope you enjoy this chapter in the mean time~
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

Odahviing's flight was silent as he entered through one of the massive holes in the ceiling of Eldergleam Sanctuary. Dawn barely had time to paint the sky with her glorious colors and the early sunlight was gently filtering in, covering everything in the sanctuary with a warm and peaceful glow and the Eldergleam tree stood tall and mighty with no signs that its bark had ever been damaged so many years ago. This place had remained untouched for many years as its original cave entrance was destroyed by a rockslide after a particularly strong thunderstorm making those who came for worship abandon the area after attempts to clear it yielded no results. The only way to enter the area was through the areas of the roof that had collapsed and allowed plant life to flourish within. It was in this quiet cavern that Refridís got off of Odahviing and walked to a blossoming tree next to a clear pool. Many of the spriggins who had made the sanctuary their home gave her and the dragon a passing glance. They had not seen any other humans for centuries and their presence in the green home was not uncommon, especially that of Odahviing. The dragon was quite fond of the peaceful sanctuary and had made it his home, abandoning the perch at the Throat of the World after all the dragons left. He had once told Refridís that his reason for leaving the remote place at the top of the mountain was because it had been a bit to chilly for a firebreather but Refridís knew better. Dovah were solitary creatures by nature and the lingering smell of other dragons, especially one that had lived there so long had made her friend uncomfortable.

As the spriggins quickly came up to the dragon to tell him what had happen since his leaving, Refridís kneeled down under the tree to look at an old stone made of black marble that had worn down with age and weather and silently grabbed a chisel and hammer that was hidden beneath an bush. She slowly and carefully outlined the writing that was barely visible in the stone.

_Here lies Faendal, skilled marksman, slayer of dragons, and loving husband to Refridís Silduaan. May Auri-El and Y'ffre watch over him as he sleeps._

Refridís gently rubbed her eyes, wiping away any tears that threatened to spill over her face. His death had been a peaceful one, one of sleep and he had lived considerably longer than many Bosmer due to his relations with her but even if he had passed on so long ago, it still felt as if an arrowhead was buried in her heart.

"I will be gone for a while my love and no idea when I will be back. Rest assured that this place will be the first that I visit upon my return," She said while gently stroking the tombstone.

She took out white lilies from her ingredients pouch and planted them around the stone, whispering a quick spell that would prevent them from drying out or dying. They had been given to her as a gift from far away after she had helped stop a Blood Dragon from burning down Solitude. With that, she rose to her feet and walked towards Odahviing who was waiting patiently for her reclined under the shade of some trees while he watched the spriggins dance in the sunlight.

"We will head for Solstheim in order to pick up some more supplies that we may need and then fly to the eastern-most Telvanni Island in order to rest and prepare before we fly across the ocean." Refridís said as she climbed onto the leather saddle that she had placed between two of his neck spines, much to the discontent of said Dovah at being ridden like a horse, but it was a necessity due to the long journey.

Odahviing gave an approving rumble as he took off in the clearing at the center of the sanctuary and flew into the warm morning sky.

The flight had lasted all day and they arrived in Solstheim when night had already fallen. Refridís entered her Raven Rock home and grab some more ingredients, a lute that was given to her by the Bard's College as a gift for supporting them as a patron of their art, and a few books in order to entertain her on what was most likely going to be a very long journey. After their quick stop, Refridís and Odahviing flew to the Telvanni Islands and spent the following night sleeping in a cliff-side cave facing the ocean.

As the sun rose that morning, she had a quick breakfast of dried deer jerky while Odahviing helped himself to some of the animal residents of the sparse woodlands. Upon his return, she asked if he really wanted to go.

**_"Mal ilit, do you not think that if I have come this far from hofkiin, I would not follow you through till the end? Nid, Zu'u bo."_** He said with an air of finality. **{Little fox, do you not think that if I have come this far from home, I would not follow you through till the end? No, I go with you.}**

Refridís smiled at the name he had called her before she placed the saddle upon his neck. Odahviing let out a loud roar marking the beginning of their ocean journey before leaping off the cliff and catching a thermal in order to lift himself into the sky with little effort.

* * *

 

As they traveled, they spoke of the past and what they would expect to get out of this journey. Odahviing would sometimes fly close to the water's surface in order to catch some unsuspecting prey, one time even catching a whale calf. They rested upon small islands or rocky outcrops whenever they found them and the journey was relatively uneventful except for one fateful night a week after leaving Tamriel.

It had been hours after they had set off from a tropical island when they saw a deep foreboding storm on the horizon.

“Perhaps it is better if we wait until it passes over?” Refridís asked out loud, inspecting the dark clouds.

**_“Nid, we have wasted enough time. Zu'u fen kos vos wah bo zeim,”_** Odahviing responded confidently. **{No, we have wasted enough time. I will be able to fly through.}**

Refridís shifted uneasily in her seat and pulled her hood up. She trusted Odahviing with her life but sometimes she believed his pride made him a bit reckless. Securing some straps that she had added to the saddle after realizing that the red dovah liked to make complicated displays of agility, most of which contained at least a few seconds of upside down flying, she felt ready to take on the storm.

The wind felt like a slap in the face when the duo entered the tempest and the driving rain like ice shards. Odahviing was having difficulties flying as the wind constantly changed directions making him adjust his wings and tail every few seconds to compensate. Through the pounding rain and sloshing sea, Refridís heard the low groan of thunder. She slapped Odahviing’s scales making him turn slightly to look at her and she signaled at the clouds above.

There was a flash of light and the dragon barely a fraction of a second before dodging a lightning bolt that struck where he was. The crack of thunder that followed was deafening to the Bosmer’s sensitive ears. The two followed this pattern of looking for a flash and dodging before Odahviing flew into the clouds in an attempt to get above the storm. The air around them crackled with energy as the Dovah’s wings drove them forward. It was only a matter of time before their luck ran out.

The flash had been blinding, coming from all around them before they were suddenly dropping. It took a few seconds for Refridís to realize that the screaming that was heard over the thunder was coming from her as they both fell towards the ocean at neck breaking speed. The crash had been violent and seawater flooded her senses as it shot up her nose and open mouth. It was relatively peaceful under the water as they both sank in to the dark abyss below. Refridís seemed to be moving in slow motion as she pounded against Odahviing’s scales, trying to bring the unconscious dragon back to the waking world. Dark shadows crawled into her vision as her lungs felt like bursting. Before she felt no more, she saw a giant golden dragon fly towards her as if the water were air and gently take them upon its back.

* * *

 

Refridís coughed harshly when she woke up, the sun above pounding on her face. She was slow to put together her thoughts about what happened but when she remember, the Bosmer shot up and looked her for draconic friend. Odahviing was resting on his side, his body half on land and the other half in the water, with several of his back scales split from where he had been struck by lightning, a few feet away from where the saddle rested.

_“Any closer and I would have been fried,”_ Refridís thought as she ran to his side.

The wood-elf called out his name several times before his green eyes fluttered open. With a hefty growl he pulled the rest of his form out of the water before flopping exhausted on the warm sand.

**_“Fos koros? Kolos mu?”_** Odahviing questioned, taking deep breaths. **{What happened? Where are we?}**

“I was right about waiting out of the storm you overgrown lizard. You were hit by lightning,” Refridís answered, knowing that the dragon was too tired to reply to the insult, “As for where we are I believe we may have reached our destination.”

In the horizon, she could see the faint outline to a massive landmass that she could only think to be the mainland of Middle-Earth. Odahviing gave a rumbling groan of approval before promptly falling back asleep.

“Yes I think you are right; sleep first, explore later,” Refridís said before lying in the sand and dozing off.

* * *

 

"Before we land, I think that it goes without saying that you should stay out of view. The people of Skyrim may be used to seeing Dovah flying in the sky but I do not think that it will be the same here. Knowledge of who I am is scarcely known outside of the homeland except for legends and exaggerations." Refridís said, cutting the silence that had fallen around them as they approached the mainland under the cover of night.

" ** _Vrah, I agree. Best that we stay in the clouds until we find a more remote area to rest and travel only by the light of the moon,"_**  Odahviing responded,  ** _"I believe that I see a faint mountain range in the distance."_**

"Then that’s where we will stay until I have to meet with the wizard at this Shire. Hopefully there will be a town of some sort nearby that I may buy a map. I hate travelling through unknown lands without an idea of where things are." She grumbled back, rolling her shoulders slightly in order to release some tension in her back. Sleeping on the bumpy sand had been a terrible idea.

Their flight continued with Odahviing rising into some low clouds. Refridís muttered thanks to the Divines for the weather as they descended into the fog- wrapped mountains.

They found a long abandoned cave to rest in just as a storm started to pass over them. Refridís took off her cloak and walked on the floor a little bit shakily as she tried to get feelings back into her legs and stretched her arms, bones cracking until every part of her body was relaxed. Odahviing shook his mighty head in order to get rid of some rain that had caught him and he stretched out like a cat in order to release some tension as well. Refridís quietly started a fire in order to warm up as her companion laid down beside her. She took her ingredients out and prepared a potent painkiller to get rid of some of the ache that Odahviing was no doubt having because of the cracked scales. Though he was young and strong by Dovah standards, even he had his limit.

Refridís was about to put a small pot of water to boil for a simple stew when she heard some rocks clatter followed quickly by a gasp. She was immediately on her feet pointing an arrow at the intruder, a man of short stature, black hair and sparse beard who was staring at her with arms held up as if calming a wild animal and a slight smile.

"Are you friend or foe?" She asked him quickly, thanking the divines that she still had the Nightingale helmet on her head as she did not want to be recognized in the future by this man.

It seemed like the man was about to answer before he spotted Odahviing rising at Refridís' words. His eyes immediately widened in fear and his breath seemed to have disappeared before he ran out of the cave.

"DRAAF! Gaav vok Odahviing! Mu kent lif nu!" Refridís yelled at her companion who was now fully awake and already heading towards the entrance. {Shit! Get up Odahviing! We must leave immediately!}

She quickly gathered her belongings before running after the dragon.

" ** _Dreh mu frolok fah mok?"_** Odahviing asked as she looked around for the man that had disturbed them. **{Do we look for him?}**

"No, we must simply move someplace more secluded," Refridís responded loudly over the pouring rain.

With that both Dovah and Bosmer flew into the mist.

* * *

 

Kíli had been training outside with his bow for a while when he heard a twig snap a little ways from him. He turned towards that direction, arrow nocked and bow pulled taunt, for several minutes before shrugging it off and aiming for his target. His arrow flew far to the left of his target as he was tackled to the side.

After a quick scuffle, Kíli ended up with his face on the cool rock floor with his elder brother Fíli sitting on top of him and hold his arms against his back in such a way that Kíli could not throw him off.

"You should be more aware next time! Uncle has allowed us to come along with him because he thought we could handle ourselves yet here you are flopping on the floor like a fish!" Fíli said, his tone filled mischief as he held down his younger brother.

"Get off me you fat oaf!" Kíli responded struggling against his brother's hold.

The pressure on his back was immediately taken off as Fíli rose up and hand held over his heart, "Your words! They pain me more than any wound that I could ever received!" Fíli said, his eyes filled with mock hurt before they became slightly serious as he lifted his brother with an outstretched hand, "But honestly brother, you must be more careful. Had that been a true sneak attack you would be dead. Thorin only barely allowed us on this quest and should he see any sign that we cannot handle ourselves he will send us back home."

"Yes, I understand that but that was no reason to attack me! Now I need to go out into the fog in order to retrieve my arrow, I just had these made!" Kíli responded with a huff before walking away from Fíli.

Fíli just shook his head good-naturedly before yelling at his brother as he left the clearing, "Be back soon! I think it's going to rain and I'd rather be in someplace sheltered than out in the open looking for you!"

Kíli had wandered in the general direction of where the arrow had been shot for a few minutes when the first drops began to fall on the Blue Mountains and quickly become a complete downpour. He forgot all about the arrow that was never going to be found and started to look for shelter, cursing the weather and hoping that it would pass quickly. He saw a faint glow coming from a cave up ahead and cautiously approached it wondering who in the world would be this far away from civilization. It was a good two days walk to the entrance of the dwarven city Ered Luin and this traveler was far off the path normally taken.

He entered the cave quietly and peeked around the corner. He saw a figure clad in strange armor that was black as night and seemed to darken whenever a shadow fell upon it. A cloth covered their mouth and nose while the upper part of their face was hidden in the shadow provided by their hood. He attempted to get a closer look when his foot accidently bumped some loose pebbles.

The stranger immediately sprang into action as their bow was grabbed from its resting place of a nearby rock and within a second, an arrow was pointed at him. Kíli noticed that the arrowhead seemed to glow a very faint purple and would spot something that look like lightning run across it’s surface.

Knowing better than to aggravate a possible enemy, Kíli raised his hands to show that he was not a threat and gave a warm smile.

"Friend or foe?" a decidedly feminine voice asked him, her words muffled slightly by the mouthpiece and laced with a strange accent.

Kíli was about to answer when out of the corner of his eye he saw something start moving behind the woman. He felt like he had been punched in the chest as all the air left him as the head of a massive red creature rose up. His mind came to a screeching halt as one thought instantly took over his entire being.

This was the creature that was responsible for chasing the dwarves out of their homeland and the reason for his upcoming quest. He remembered his uncle's stories about the massive red beast that wielded incinerating fire to bring about terrible destruction. He mouth felt parched as he attempted to swallow and his eyes seemed to take in more details as they flickered between the woman who kept her bow raised and the danger that lurked behind her.

Kíli did the only thing that he could think of. He ran.

He rushed out of the cave as fast as possible and hid behind a rocky outcropping. He had no doubt in his mind that the dragon would follow him and attempt to burn him alive before eating him. What he was not prepared for however was a worried shout and a rumbling that sounded like thunder. There was a worried shout before the dragon ran out of the cave, the strange woman staying close behind before leaping onto its neck. The mist swirled around her form, giving her the appearance of an ominous shadow. Kíli saw that her hood had slipped slightly in her rush and saw dark red eyes scanned the landscape looking for him.

The dragon asked something in a strange language before the woman replied, "No, we must simply move someplace more secluded."

With that, the two disappeared into the downpour and fog as Kíli attempted to calm his pounding heart.

He had to go warn his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully that wasn't too out of character and if it was I'm sorry as this is my first time writing from a perspective that is not of my OCs. Next chapter we will begin following the plot of the movie/book!  
> I chose Faendal as Refridís' husband as he is the only follower I have not found annoying and who I have had since I first started the game when it came out. Shame you can't marry wood elves in game even if they are of the same race.  
> Comments and helpful criticism is welcomed!


	4. Meeting Place Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Thank you all for your kind reviews and the many Follows/Favorites! You don’t know how happy it makes me~   
> I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out on Monday so I have had time to write this as I lay here looking like a chipmunk, in agony waiting for my pain meds to kick in. 
> 
> Question time (note these responses may contain information that may answer your own questions (kind of like a behind the scenes sort of thing))!   
> To Wertheren: the topic of Serana as an immortal companion came up in a PM and I can assure that the reasoning behind her not appearing will come up. ;)  
> To DecrepitSoul: Thank you for your review! And yes, you will see that next time Kíli and Refridís meet there will definitely be some issues!  
> To Mr Review: Here you go! :D
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

Kíli ran as fast as his legs were able to carry him, slipping on the wet stones and skidding whenever he took a turn too fast which resulted in several small cuts on his palms and a small rip on his pants where his knee had collided with a sharp stone. He would often look over his shoulder to make sure that neither the dragon nor the strange woman had spotted him as he tried to find the main path through the misty air.

Though Kíli was born and raised on these mountains, it still took him a good five minutes to find the path, a mixture of distressed panic and foul weather making it difficult to see ten feet in front of him but when he reached it, his paced nearly doubled as obstacles were few and far in between.

Fíli was nowhere to be found when Kíli arrived panting at the clearing where he had been practicing his archery and for a moment his heart stopped as he thought about what things could have happened between his encounter and reaching the area.

_“Maybe the dragon found this clearing. Maybe he found Fíli.”_ Kíli thought, his stomach feeling like it was turning into a ball of ice.

Those thoughts were quickly dashed as he heard his brother’s voice and saw a familiar shock of braided blond hair taking shelter in a small space that had eroded out of the mountain. He let out a sigh of relief before sprinting towards the opening.

When Kíli entered, he took several gulps of air as he tried to calm his breathing and collapsed on the floor, his legs giving up on him after the unexpected run. Fíli looked at him with concern, sheathing the dagger he was polishing, already having started a fire that was crackling happily despite the terrible weather just a few steps away.

“Brother are you alright? What happened?” Fíli asked rushing and kneeling next to his brother, worried about the condition he had arrived in.

Kíli tried to respond, but all that came out were wheezes as he still hadn’t caught his breath.

“Easy Kee, take your time! I am not going anywhere.” Fíli said as he gently rubbed circles on his brother’s back, trying to help him relax.

“Fee… Fee we have- have to get out of here!” Kíli shouted once his lungs didn’t feel like they were on fire anymore.

Fíli looked bewildered at his brother’s statement, taking a quick look outside at the storm that was attacking the mountain with a vengeance before asking, “And why would that be?”

“The storm hit while I was searching for my arrow and I saw a light come out of one of the nearby caves away from the path. I went to see what it was since travelers never tend to stray from it and saw a woman cloaked in black taking refuge there but that wasn’t all. Fee... there was a dragon with her.” Kíli said, taking a second to look out of their temporary shelter to make sure that said creature wasn’t outside listening to their conversation.

Fíli narrowed his eyes before asking, “Not that I don’t believe you Kíli, but are you sure it was a dragon? Why would one be so far from the Withered Heath?”

“I DON’T KNOW BUT I KNOW WHAT I SAW!” Kíli snapped back before realizing that it was his older brother he was talking to and continued in a lowered voice, “The creature matched Uncle’s description almost exactly except this one had silver wings instead of red ones.”

“You don’t think that it could be different dragon?” Fíli anxiously asked before looking at Kíli in confusion, “Wait you told me there was a woman? What happened to her?”

“That was the strange thing Fee… after I spotted the dragon and ran, I was expecting her to run as well but the last time I saw both of them, she had jumped onto the dragon’s back and was riding it out into the mist. I… I think she was talking to it too!” Kíli answered his brother.

“What?! A person crazy enough to ride a dragon? You don’t think they are headed to Ered Luin do you? We have to warn our families!” Fíli said while standing up, realizing what this might mean for the futures of the people of the Blue Mountains.

“I don’t think so. They took off the opposite direction of the city and it didn’t seem like they were too keen in seeing other people, much less stealing or killing them,” Kíli responded with a shaky breath.

Both of the Durin Princes were silent as they thought of how to solve the dilemma. On one side, if they headed back towards Ered Luin to give them warning, they wouldn’t make the meeting with Thorin and miss out on the quest to retake their homeland and slay Smaug. On the other, not giving them warning could mean a potentially devastating dragon attack on their people.

Fíli gave a soft sight before speaking, “Even if we started heading back now, how would we know if we would make it in time before the dragon attacked? For all we know, it could be there right now. In addition, our home is guarded by a much smaller army of dwarves than the one that was protecting Erebor and we still lost. What good will two extra dwarves do other than being added to the pile of the dead?”

“Our mother and friends are there…” Kíli whispered staring out into the rain.

“When we reach the next town, I will send a message to Ered Luin with a warning and a request for a message to be sent to our meeting place so that we might be able to rest our minds for our journey. In the meantime, you should put your clothes close to the fire to dry, you are miserable to travel with when you are sick,” Fíli said with a small smile as he sat back down next to his brother who was still soaked from his journey outside.

That night, neither of them got much sleep.

* * *

 

                  Refridís was very worried as she flew away from the cave. Not even a full day had passed since her arrival and already someone had seen Odahviing. She didn’t know much about this land and therefore didn’t know how fast the news was spread. Back in Skyrim, it seemed that many of her people had found out about recent events almost as quickly as they happened.

The rain bounced off of Odahviing’s scales as he gave a slight rumble before asking, **_“Mal ilit, los hi beck?” {Little Fox, are you all right?}_**

Refridís snapped back to the present and responded, “Yes I’m fine, but I am concerned for our safety in this place. That man has seen me in my armor and has also seen you. I count myself fortunate that I still had my mask on. It seems as if I will have to buy some normal traveling clothes as well as a map. Nightingale armor is very recognizable to those who survive encounters with us.”

**_“You do not think that we will see him again do you? Our oblaan is very far away from this place,”_** the mighty Dovah reasoned as he landed on a very rocky crag that was inaccessible except for those gifted with the power of flight. **{…destination…}**

From it, Refridís was able to see a dark river snaking its way through the hills before emptying into a large body of water. As she concentrated her eyes a bit more, she was barely able to spot some lights from the river’s bank, a sign of civilization of some sort.

“Perhaps not, but I would rather be safe than sorry,” Refridís mumbled tiredly as she rubbed her eyes. “We really need to figure out a way for you to travel with me and the wizard without you being seen again. I would like to have you close by in case an emergency happens and I do not want you waiting for me in strange lands that we have little idea of.”

**_“I can hear you even if you do not use your Thu’um, Mal ilit. Sumah dii for I will be able to know your location and find a safe place to hide that is out of sight.”_** Odahviing said, grumbling at the prospect of hiding like a fearful hatchling. **{Whisper for me}**

Refridís gave a slight smile as she shed her armor and folded it carefully before placing it neatly in her bag. She was left with a thin tundra cotton shirt and some tough wool pants but it would be all she would need even in this terrible storm. She slowly crawled over the massive claws of her companion and snuggled into the space between his arm and neck, the dovah’s heartfire bleeding heat through his thick scales. With the storm still trying to rip apart the mountain, Odahviing tucked his head under his wings which he had covered the majority of his body with and the two companions fell asleep.

* * *

 

Refridís had set out for the town before the sun rose the next morning after Odahviing had gently deposited her at the foot of the mountains, the thick fog rolling off the sea hiding his massive form as he flew. She managed to find everything she needed and a few more supplies. From a tailor’s, she bought two tunics, one dark green and the other white, some brown leather archer gloves, a brown leather vest, a dark green cloak, and two pairs of black pants before deciding that she would just wear her tough Nightingale boots. She paid him handsomely for the fine garments and left quickly to walk across the street to a trader’s shop.

She bought some fresh meat and vegetables for her mountaintop stay with Odahviing, long since having abandoned the Green Pact that the Bosmer of Valenwood followed strictly, as well as a map from the vendor. He looked at her suspiciously when she asked what their current location was and had to use some of her skills in persuasion in order to convince them. It turned out that she was at the eastern foot of the Blue Mountains to where the River Lhûn emptied out into the Gulf of Lhûn, not too far from the Shire where she would meet up with Gandalf. The vendor’s eyes widened in surprise when Refridís dropped a sack containing a hundred gold coins, asking if it was enough to cover the items and buy his silence. He quickly nodded before stuffing the sack into a hidden drawer, looking around to make sure no one had seen the exchange.

It was in this way that she spent the rest of the day, wandering through the town, listening in on the conversations of the people and learning about items that interested her (and perhaps pickpocketing out of habit). When night finally arrived and the fog started to roll in, she hiked back to where Odahviing dropped her off and whispered his name.

It only took a few moments for the Dovah to retrieve her and on the way back to the crag, he told her some interesting news, **_“It seems like that lahzey wishes to speak with you. When you called for me, a white moth that stunk of volunduv lu flew close and I heard it speak.” { Lahzey: Wizard, volunduv lu: Unnatural Magic}_**

“Hm, did you hear what it said?” Refridís asked

**_“Nid.”_ **

“Well let us see what our new friend wants.”

They arrived shortly at the crag, a ghostly moth fluttering about before landing on Refridís’ outstretched hands.

_“We meet in four days. Look for a magical symbol on the door of one of the houses to find our meeting place,”_ the moth whispered before it flew away, disappearing into the clouds.

“Seems that this quest is moving forward rather quickly,” the wood elf said to the Dovah who let out a small huff and settled himself comfortably for the night.

* * *

 

It had been a relatively uneventful four days of waiting, filled with planning and the gathering of resources. In order to keep Odahviing as hidden as possible, she ended up buying a horse to travel in the open with and would only meet with him at night.

Refridís rode the lithe black horse in her new traveling clothes and her hair loose which covering her pointed ears through the peaceful greens of the Shire as the sun began to set, looking for a house with a symbol from Gandalf. The horse, which she had named Vokun, was a far cry from the stocky build of Frost and as a result, she had some trouble packing her heavy supplies on him. A little over a quarter of her supplies ended up being tied down on the saddle that Odahviing wore, something that had offended him, saying that he was not some pack mule and refusing to talk to her for the rest of that day.

It was only until the sun had disappeared behind the horizon that she saw a faint glow on one of the houses. Refridís walked Vokun up to the door before getting off and tying him to a nearby fence, far enough away that the horse would not chew on the beautiful flowers and shrubs that bordered the walkway. She took a deep breath and gave a solid four knocks.

She was slightly surprised when the Grey Wizard did not answer the door but rather a man of very short stature, curly hair, and large hairy feet answered the door.

He looked at her curiously before asking, “May I help you?”

Refridís shook herself out of her stupor and responded, “Yes I believe you can, does Gandalf happen to be here?”

The man gave a slight frown before saying, “I am very sorry Miss but unfortunately Mr. Gandalf is not here. Should you have arrived this morning you may have been able to catch him.”

The wood elf gave him a disappointed look before sighing, “He said that he would be here… Oh well. Do you happen to know where I may rent out a room for the night? I have travelled a very, very long way to get here and I am positively exhausted.”

The man gave her a puzzled look before shooting her a small smile, “There is an inn in the town of Bree a little while outside of Hobbiton but I would not be able to sleep tonight if I knew that I let a young woman who is obviously not from around here to wander around in the dark. You may stay here for tonight, I have the room and you came just in time for dinner!”

“I thank you very much for your kindness Mister…?” Refridís questioned.

“Oh where are my manners, Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the man responded smiling and allowing her to pass him into his home.

“I am Refridís Silduaan of Skyrim, and the pleasure is all mine,” Refridís said as she stooped slightly in order to walk through the cozy hallway, “This is a lovely home you have Mister Baggins. If you don’t mind me asking, I am a traveler and I have never quite seen a man like you?”

As she sat at the dinner table, Bilbo spoke as he brought out two plates of fish along with a couple of lemons, a bowl of fresh greens, and cups, “That is because I am not a man but rather a hobbit!”

Refridís looked at him a bit confused, “Hm… I do not have hobbits where I come from but you are a very kind fellow to have allowed me to stay in your home.”

Bilbo flushed a little at the compliment and just as they were about to start eating the doorbell rang, startling Bilbo who gave a displeased look in the middle of squeezing lemon on his fish. Refridís watched Bilbo as he crossed his home and opened to door only to see a short, bald man greeting and bowing slightly towards Bilbo.

“Dwalin, at your service.”

Bilbo let out a shocked noise before responding, “Bilbo Baggins, at yours.”

Dwalin walked inside Bilbo’s house without invitation much to the displeasure of the hobbit.

“D-do we know each other?” The startled hobbit called after him.

“No. Which way, laddie? Is it down here?” Dwalin asked.

“I-is what down where?” the flustered Bilbo responded.

Refridís decided that she did not like this man and got up to help her hobbit host. Dwalin dumped some of his things on the ground before handing the rest off to Bilbo. When the short man spotted her, he gave a slight bow and said the same greeting to her. Refridís frowned slightly before simply stating her first name.

Dwalin turned towards Bilbo and answered his question by saying, “Supper. He said there’d be food, and lots of it.”

Bilbo and Refridís looked at each other absolutely confused and Bilbo squeaked out a, “H-He said? Who said?”

Dwalin sat in Bilbo’s spot before messily eating his fish, head included much to the hobbit’s disgust, before reaching and eating Refridís’ portion as well much to the displeasure of her growling stomach.

The man gave a noise of approval before asking if there was more to which Bilbo responded that there was and brought over some seed-cakes, hiding one behind his back for himself as Dwalin dug in.

“Its-Its just that, um, I wasn’t expecting company,” Bilbo said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation looking at Refridís for advice.

The wood elf simply shrugged her shoulder before they both looked in alarm towards the door whose doorbell just rang again.

Dwalin looked up from his eating saying, “That’ll be the door.”

Refridís, who was closest, opened it to find another short man, this one with snowy white hair and an equally white beard.

“Balin, at your service,” he said, giving the same bow that Dwalin had.

Refridís simply nodded and Bilbo said, “Good evening.”

Balin started to nod while saying, “Yes, yes it is, though I think it might rain later. Am I late?”

Bilbo responded with a start, “Late for what?”

At that moment, the snow-haired man walked passed to two confused people and greeted the one inside the house who was busy trying to get biscuits from a jar.

“Oh, by my beard, you are shorter and wider than last we met!” Dwalin exclaimed.

“Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us!” Balin said laughing.

To the surprise of both Refridís and Bilbo, the two men smashed their foreheads together.

“Do you know either of these men Mister Bilbo?” Refridís asked quietly in the hobbit’s ears.

“N-no I do not!” the hobbit answered before turning to talk to the other two “Uh, excuse me; sorry, I hate to interrupt, ah, but the thing is, I’m not entirely sure you’re in the right house! It’s not that I don’t like visitors; I-I like visitors as much as the next Hobbit, but I do like to know them before they come visiting.”

Bilbo chased after the two men who were rifling through his pantry leaving Refridís at the door. From her position she could hear a discussion about cheese and Bilbo saying “The thing is, um, I, I don’t know either of you, not in the slightest. I don’t mean to be blunt, but I uh, but I had to speak my mind. I’m sorry.”

The two men forgave the hobbit before continuing their food search and the doorbell rang again. Refridís had half a mind not to open it in case anymore rude folks had come to visit her poor host but a pleading look from Bilbo moved her hand. What she saw once she opened the doors however stopped her in her place.   

Standing there, clear as day, were two more of the short men, though much younger looking. However, that was not what had caused her to tighten her grip on the door handle. Of the two, it was the man at the right that made her stomach drop for it was the very man who had saw her and Odahviing during their first day in Middle-Earth.

And by the way he was staring at her, she had a feeling she had somehow been recognized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to leave it at that tiny cliffhanger as I have a feeling that this chapter dragged on long enough.   
> Hope you guys enjoyed the story but I must ask a favor of you guys. If anything seems a bit OOC or the information I write is wrong, please PLEASE tell me and I will do some research and edit my story to fit accordingly. I have only been able to see both parts of the trilogy once because it happened to be showing on TV which was what got me really interested in Tolkien’s Universe (even if I have seen all the Lord of the Rings movies). I have a copy of both movie scripts and maps of Middle-Earth saved on my computer to help fill in the gaps that my memory has forgotten and I have started reading the book version of the Hobbit as well.   
> I also have Thuum(dot)org(slash)translate as my DragonLanguage Translator and a map of Tamriel on my wall and if I need any specific information about Skyrim, I either boot up my game or look it up on the Elder Scroll Wiki. But seriously, call me out if you see something wrong!  
> Again, thank you very much for reading and hope you liked the chapter! Drop a review if you want, even something simple like a “cool, do more” brings a massive smile on my face.  
> Next Chapter, Kíli and Refridís’s reaction!


	5. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> The fact that so many people have favorite, followed, and reviewed my story makes me absolutely ecstatic! Thank you to Biolegend712, Kazaru13, Inle-Hain-Rah, bandrose111, DecrepitSoul, and Mr Review for their wonderful comments, hope the chapter is all what you want it to be! My jaw is feeling tons better and I'm sure in a day or two I will be back to normal.
> 
> Question time!  
> To Biolegend712: Nope it movie it said doorbell but it’s not the one you are thinking. It’s an actual bell that is rung ;)
> 
> Someone PMed me for a description of Refridís and I will eventually be putting up a picture but in the mean time here is a brief physical description: Dark olive skin due to her Bosmer heritage, black hair that reaches mid-back which normally has two braids that start above her ears and meet behind her head to become a single braid that rest on loose hair and a small amount of loose hair that frames her face on both sides and comes down slightly past her chin (hopefully that makes sense until I can draw her), dark crimson eyes, and she is 5'5'' seeing as Wood Elves seem to be the shortest in Skyrim and I wanted her to be slightly taller than the dwarves. Thorin is 5'3'' according to interviews.  
> Don't expect an update within the next couple of days because of college stuff and since its summer harvesting time and I live on a farm. Also my internet is limited to 10 gigs a month so updates might be a bit sporadic around this time as it is when our new "month" begins and my family is rationing internet time.
> 
> Hobbit and Characters belong to J.R.R Tolkien, Skyrim and Characters belong to Bethesda, Refridís belongs to me!  
> And now the moment many of you have been waiting for…
> 
> Edit: I know that this chapter is basically word for word what happened in the movie but this pattern has since been rectified in the later chapters. This was written when I was first getting into the fandom and therefore little research was done. Reading over it made me slightly upset about how close it was movie wise but it's a bit late to change things. Please stick with me, it gets much better!

Refridís's throat seemed to suddenly become a desert as she couldn't get her tongue to work a proper greeting. She quickly began thinking about the multiple scenarios and probable answers she could give regarding the even that was currently transpiring before her.

_Just play it cool. You do not recognize them if they somehow recognize you. Perhaps that is simply how the man looks at everyone._

Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted when the blond-haired man introduced himself as Fíli. It seemed like he was waiting for something before he narrowed his eyes and elbowed the dark-haired man in the side.

Fíli's companion turned towards him with a wince before mumbling, "Kíli".

They both bowed down, one more eagerly than the other, and repeated the "at your service" greeting that Balin and Dwalin had said.

Fíli smiled kindly at Refridís before asking, "Is Mr. Boggins home?"

"It is Mr. Baggins my good sir, but I do not believe that he is taking on anymore guests at the moment," Refridís said, turning to look behind her as the harried hobbit headed her way.

"Nope! You can't come in, you've come to the wrong house!" Bilbo exclaimed as he attempted to close his door, blocking the hallway of his home from the unwanted visitors.

Kíli blocked the door with his foot and he took his wary eyes off of Refridís in order to look at the hobbit and asked, "What? Has it been cancelled?"

Fíli, which Refridís decided was the more pleasant brother, continued with, "No one told us."

Bilbo looked absolutely befuddled and Refridís could see that he was quickly losing his patience as a crash was heard from the pantry. He stammered, "W-what? No, nothing's been cancelled."

Kíli started handing Bilbo his weapons while smiling, "Well, that's a relief."

Fíli handed Refridís his weapons, giving her a quick wink, "Careful with these. I just had'em sharpened."

Refridís looked down at the weapons, annoyed that she had been degraded to a simple carrier and that was when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kíli had kept a dagger with him on his belt. Considering his attitude and her apparent discovery, she decided that she had to watch out for him just in case he was up to any funny business. She was, however, absolutely shocked when Kíli started to scrape the mud off his boots onto the edge of what looked like to be a very old chest.

Bilbo squeaked at the action, dropping the weapons on the ground and quickly told Kíli off, "Ah, no! It's been in the family for years! That's my mother's glory box, can you please not do that?!"

From down the hall, the two men who had already made themselves comfortable called to the new visitors. Fíli and Bilbo followed the voices while Kíli stayed back. There was a large clamoring and a sound of despair that could only have come from the hobbit as someone had started moving furniture.

Refridís had her attention towards the noise but she could feel Kíli's glare on the back of her head. After a few moments, she had enough and towards the short man before asking in an innocent tone, "Can I help you?"

Kíli looked surprised that he had been confronted before narrowing his eyes and saying, "I know who you are."

Refridís raised her eyebrow, mocking confusion and hoping it was believable, responded, "I'm sorry, but I do not believe we have ever met before."

Kíli was about to give a retort when there was a strong knock on the door, much to Refridís's relief, and she dropped Fíli's weapons with Kíli's deserted ones.

Bilbo stormed down the hall before yelling, "Oh no. No, no! There's nobody home. Go away, and bother somebody else. There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If-if-if this is some clot head's idea of a joke, ha ha, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!"

Refridís was instantly taken back at the mention of dwarves. She had had her ear talked off more than once by Calcelmo when she had visited Markarth about the Dwemer and their culture. She thought back to the many Dwemer ruins she had crawled through and had lost a dragon soul or two in as she fought the multiple steam machinations that guarded their halls.

" _But it is not only machines that patrol Dwemer halls,"_ Refridís thought, the hair on the back of her neck rising in anger at the thought of the blind Falmer.

The vile and blind creatures had more than once nearly taken her life but she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. The mighty race of Snow Elves who had plead for the protection of the Dwemer against the Nords who wished to see their extinction, had slowly been poisoned and twisted into slaves by the very people who they seeked help from.

Her angry thoughts cut off when Bilbo opened the door and an entire heap of the supposedly extinct Dwemer fell onto his floor. Refridís counted eight of them as they grumbled and yelled each other to get off. Gandalf was standing behind the wriggling mass when he stooped down and their eyes met.

 _We need to talk._ Refridís projected at him with her eyes and the Grey Wizard gave a barely visible nod.

The Dwemer quickly overcame Bilbo's attempt of blocking the hallway and dumped their weapons into a growing pile near the door. When Refridís looked for the Dwemer who had been staring at her venomously before the interruption, she discovered that he had joined the others in raiding Bilbo's pantry.

The hobbit was absolutely frantic as he attempted to take control of the situation only to be ignored. It was absolute chaos as the Dwemer were pulling out everything that had been carefully stored in the dry room, from meats and wines, to even entire wheels of cheese, and moving furniture and all in all being complete nuisances.

Refridís turned towards Gandalf with a heavy frowned and asked him with a voice only he would hear, "What is the meaning of this? I thought we were killing a dragon, not having a party."

Gandalf gave her a sheepish look and a small smile before responding, "All in good time, my dear."

A grey-haired Dwemer came up to Gandalf to ask him if he wanted tea and the wizard found it to be the most opportune time to step away from the fuming Bosmer. Refridís did not feel sorry for him when he hit his head on the chandelier. He began to count and name the Dwemer who were scurrying about Bilbo's dining room. She spotted Kíli glaring at her as he whispered to Fíli who seemed very interested in what he was saying before turning away. Refridís tore her view of the two Dwemer when one came up to Gandalf with an axe in his head and spoke to the wizard in a strange language.

"Yes, you're quite right, Bifur. We appear to be one dwarf short," the grey wizard responded, obviously understanding the strange language.

"He is late, is all. He travelled North to a meeting of our kin. He will come," Dwalin said, overhearing the statement.

Refridís was very unhappy about the prospect of another loudmouth Dwemer coming into the home and she sat down in a chair that had been moved to the wall to make room for the festivities. She was not very big on large celebrations, even those at the local inns, as the noise would hurt her sensitive ears and she hated dealing with sloppy drunks who would attempt to convince her to go somewhere more private, her smallish wood elf stature making her seem like an easy target. More than once she had slit the throat of a particularly pushy human and left them in an alleyway to be found by a night guardsman or a begger.

The only time when she had actually enjoyed a proper party was when she had invited all of her close friends to her manor in Falkreath after Alduin's defeat. Someone had found a way to import a rather large quantity of strong elvish wine and the morning after she had found herself in the forest in her skivvies with an Amulet of Mara around her neck and half of Falkreath’s guard looking for her. Apparently they did not appreciate her and her companions' drunken search for the dragon that was supposedly hiding under the Jarl's Longhouse, no matter if she was thane or the savior of Skyrim. It was Calcelmo that had managed to talk them out of jail time by stating they had been experimenting with a recipe found in the Dwemer ruins for a drink that would make them be able to bend metals with their bare hands.

" _Oh how I wish Calcelmo was here right now. He would be having a fit over finding out that the Dwemer still existed in parts of the world,"_ Refridís thought, smiling softly at the memory of the researcher who she had befriended.

The Bosmer was once again rudely brought out of her thoughts as she dodged a biscuit that had been thrown in her direction. She turned her attention to the growing food fight, much to Bilbo's disgust as he ran out of the room, and watched as Fíli walked on top of her host's table, carrying several cups of ale and knocking aside food with his feet. Dwalin said something and Refridís watched as the blond Dwemer poured the drink down another's hearing trumpet, who quickly reacted with brief anger before blowing into it and making it squeal while the others laughed. She heard a countdown and observed as they suddenly got quiet, gulping their ale fast enough to make even a Nord embarrassed of his drinking skills. It was incredibly messy as ale fell all over their faces and ran down their beards and she was only slightly amused as they smashed their tankards down and began to burp, the youngest looking letting out a massive belch that had her mentally congratulating him. She caught Kíli watching her from the corner of his eye as he laughed with his companions and quickly made eye contact, staring him down until he looked away.

* * *

 

It is a complete mess when the feast is done and the Dwemer began to leave the table. Bilbo ran up to one of them and took away something from their hand. Refridís was only partially paying attention to the discussion, having nodded off slightly while watching Kíli through half-closed eyes when she jumped awake at Bilbo yelling out what she is sure to be an explicative.

"My dear Bilbo," Gandalf said, "What on earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Bilbo spluttered, his entire face going red, "I'm surrounded by dwarves. What ARE they doing here?"

Gandalf oblivious or ignoring the hobbits discontent, simply answered, "Oh, they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them."

Bilbo looked like he is about to explode as he stomped his foot and he quickly retorted, ""I don't want to get used to them. The state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet, they've pi-pillaged the pantry. I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom; they've all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

Gandalf simply gives a small chuckle as he changes his attention from the hobbit to Refridís's unamused face, who raises her eyebrow in question. He gently waved her off, not in the mood to explain to her what exactly was happening. She observed as the youngest of the bunch, Ori she remembered, came up to Bilbo and asked him politely what he should do with his plate.

 _"At least one of them has manners,"_ She thought.

Her attention was quickly changed as Fíli took the plate from Ori with a yell and threw it to Kíli who threw it behind his back to Bifur who caught it without even looking. The air was suddenly filled with plates, bowls, and utensils as they get thrown towards the sink to get washed, Gandalf almost getting caught in the crossfire and Bilbo shrieking about the age of the crockery.

The Dwemer begin to drum on the table when Bilbo, clearly at the end of his nerves, asks, "Can-can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"

The mischievous look in the eyes of the Dwemer with the funny hat is not missed as he responded, "Ooh, d'hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!"

It is the black-haired dwarf who has been giving Refridís dirty looks all night who begins to sing,  _"Blunt the knives,"_

 _"Bend the forks!"_ Fíli joins in after his brother and it is not long before all the Dwemer join in.

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you've finished, if any are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll_

_..._

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

Bilbo seemed about to lose his cool when he realized that the Dwemer had cleaned up his home. The short men along with Gandalf began to laugh as the hobbit stared open mouthed at the neatly stacked dishes only to be fall silent at three loud knocks that echo throughout the home.

"He is here." Gandalf states before turning to Refridís, "Do you mind getting the door?"

The Bosmer rose from her chair and walked over to the door. Behind it, stood the missing Dwemer, but this one was rather different from the rest of them. He stood tall, proud, and serious, his braided black hair and beard framing his face and his piercing blue eyes taking in the strange red-eyed woman who had opened the door for him.

He stepped into Bilbo's home and handed his cloak to Refridís before turning to Gandalf and saying, "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?" Bilbo questioned as he came forward to look at his door, "There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!"

Gandalf gave a sly smile before confessing, "There is a mark; I put it there myself! Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

At the mention of a company, Refridís snapped her attention towards the wizard with narrowed eyes.  _Company?_

"So this is the Hobbit." Thorin said as he eyed Bilbo, "Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

The poor hobbit seemed taken aback by the question, "Pardon me?"

Refridís observed that Thorin was probably a Dwemer of short temper as he rolled his eyes and asked, "Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

Bilbo seemed to be raking his brains for an answer before he responded, "Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much," scoffed the proud Dwemer, "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

As the other Dwemer laughed and settled back down around the dining table, Refridís walked up to the hobbit and gave him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder as they walked behind them. She was quickly losing her respect and patience with these Dwemer and their absolute lack of manners towards her host who had kindly, though albeit unknowingly, given his home for their meeting. She entered the room with Bilbo and saw that the group was gathered around Thorin.

"What do the dwarves in the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" asked Balin.

"They will not come. They say this quest is ours, and ours alone." Thorin responded as he ate from Bilbo's heavily diminished pantry and was answered with disappointed murmers.

"And from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin asked again.

Thorin's eyes gained a dark look before answering, "Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms."

The Dwemer murmured their joy before their leader continued, "However, I have upsetting news. It was brought to my attention while meeting there that a message was sent about a dragon being seen in the Blue Mountains. Care to explain?"

Kíli rose up, silencing all the quiet murmers, "Yes, I saw the dragon. I discovered it while looking for shelter during the last storm that passed over along with something, or rather someone, much more interesting. There was a woman in armor as black as night that seemed to blend in with the shadows and eyes red like blood, who seemed to control the beast. At their discovery, both beings fled in to the mist and I have not seen them since. Not until now." He ended his speech with a glare towards Refridís, which every Dwemer followed.

The red-eyed Bosmer was absolutely seething with rage, "Excuse me?! What is that look supposed to mean?!"

"You know plain well what that means! I saw you in that cave with that horrid beast, do not even try to deny it." Kíli spat back, his hand twitching down towards the hidden dagger, putting all the others who had seen it on edge as they made slight adjustments in position in case they had to run to their weapons.

Refridís responded by slamming her hands on the table and rising from her chair to stand above the offending Dwemer, ""Do you even know who you are talking to?! I am Refridís Silduaan of Skyrim, legendary Dovah-slayer and peacemaker of my land! I deny your claims as the only time I would ride on the back of a Dovah would be when I am removing their heads from their bodies! So watch your tongue before insinuating something so ludicrous!" the enraged wood elf ended her argument with Kíli by giving a sharp look towards the wizard and sitting down, wise enough to not be the first one to swing should a fight break out as she was heavily outnumbered and against an enemy she never faced before. Her decision, however, did not eliminate her desperate need to punch the Dwemer in the face. "I was invited here under the assumption that I, along with a certain wizard alone, would be eliminating a problem that has been plaguing this land and so far I have not received any answers to the multiple questions I now have."

Gandalf cleared his throat hoping to diffuse the tense situation as he spread a map out on the table and asked for some more light, "Far over the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

"The Lonely Mountain?" Bilbo asked nervously as he glanced between the angry Refridís and the rest of his guests.

"Aye." Gloín said, moving slightly away from the Bosmer, "Oín has read the portents, and the portents say it is time."

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Oín explained as he leaned over the table.

"Uh, what beast?" Bilbo asked, his voice laced with concern at what he had already heard.

Bofur quickly responded, "Well that would be reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals—"

Bilbo cut him off, "Yes, I know what a dragon is!"

Ori piped up as he stood, "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"

Some of the Dwemer began cheering on their youngest member as Refridís's face turned dark at the description of Smaug, remembering similar titles that Alduin had held. There was little to no experience in this bunch about dragon fighting or else they would know that it was no joking matter. Her eyes caught the look Thorin was giving his company as he seemed to silently agree with her.

Dori growled a "sit down" while pulling Ori back in his seat and Balin quickly rectified the cheering by saying, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

After all the Dwemer finished being offended by the remark, Gandalf said, "That is where you are wrong my friends, as I have invited Refridís from her lands to help us with this quest for her claims as a dragon-slayer are no lie."

Refridís narrowed her eyes towards the wizard, displeased at the prospect of traveling with company, especially one so large and with possibly hostile members before answering, "Yes, it seems as if there are now fourteen of us."

Thorin gave the wizard a questioning glare before asking, "How do you know that we can trust this woman with knowledge of our quest?"

Gandalf easily responded, "I would not invite someone unless I could personally vouch for them. She is the Archmage of her land, a title that is not earned unless they prove that they are to never use magic for foul purposes. Additionally, she already knows about our quest so we simply have no choice but to bring her with us now."

"Enough, quest or no quest, I am going to be slaying that Dovah. Should I have to traveling with a group, so be it," Refridís said, interrupting the discussion as politely as she could before turning towards Bofur, "You say that he is a fire breather?"

Bofur gave a small hum of approval before Refridís pulled out a medium sized journal from her pockets and flipped through it, numerous pictures of dragons and writing passing with a blur.

"Yet one thing concerns me. You said that this Smaug is very fond of precious metals but the dragons I have faced only tend to have a few hundred gold coins along with some shiny trinkets hidden in a chest. I have only seen three dragons with a lust like the one you are describing to me," Refridís continued with a grave look on her face, stopping at a page with a drawing of two dragons, one white and one red, curled up in a circle on top of a pile of gold with some large jewels between them, "I observed this pair and their behavior due to the fact that seeing two Dovah in the same place was absolutely unheard of unless they are fighting and came up with a startling conclusion which leads me to my next question."

"Are you certain that Smaug was not a female looking for a nesting place or a male with an expectant mate?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annndddd I will end it there! Hopefully the confrontation between Refridís and Kíli was acceptable but if it wasn't, there is plenty of time between now and Erebor for things to happen.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the little plot twist at the end! Please review to tell me what you thought and how I am doing! Your comments and criticisms are appreciated!


	6. The Makings of a Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello everyone! I just came back from my first college test and finished editing this chapter. Thanks to Kazaru13, DecrepitSoul, Inle-Hain-Rah, Mr. Review, and Victor for their comments and criticisms! Thank you all for your favorites and follows!  
> I managed to convince my mother to Redbox both of the Hobbit movies so I got to think of plot points and twists as I watched them and refreshed my memories and let me tell you, I have big things planned.  
> Question Time!  
> To DecrepitSoul: I’m glad that you enjoyed that confrontation and wanted to say that I took your criticism to heart when it came to writing this chapter. About the trolls, *SPOILER* let’s just say that Refridis thinks she’s facing against something completely different when she hears that trolls took the ponies ;)*END SPOILER*. I honestly blushed when I read the last part of your comment and want to say that I very much look forwards to what you have to say about my future chapters.  
> To Inle-Hain-Rah: I thank you for your comment and glad you enjoyed that little twist! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
> To Victor: The only thing that I will say is that Smaug will definitely be different to any other dragon Refridis has ever faced, Alduin included. I have not thought as far as to continuing it through the LOTR trilogy but that is something that I will now think of. I already have a general idea of what the endgame for this story will be but I can definitely see myself bending and changing some things to make it possible if I desire to continue this story beyond the Hobbit. ;)  
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I did take a few creative liberties when it came to explaining some things but I don’t think they bend the lore too much. If you believe that Refridis is kind of uptight and unfriendly, believe me, she will get better once she gets to know the company a bit more.
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

The company, along with Bilbo and even Gandalf himself, looked at Refridís as if she had grown a second head. She continued reading the entry in her journal, trying to jog her memory about how to tell the difference between a male and female dragon from a distance before noticing the silence and looking up with a questioning glance.

“Are you saying that there may be more than one dragon currently hiding inside of Erebor?” Thorin asked quietly.

“It is a possibility, yes. I am not sure how long it takes the eggs of Dovah to hatch but if Smaug is a lone female you will have a very protective mother most likely guarding eggs or hatchlings. If it is male and he has a mate and nest with him, expect to be fighting two dragons at once,” Refridís answered as she put the journal back in her pocket, “Either way, it will not be a very pleasant experience. The adults will be difficult to kill but it is not impossible, however if there are hatchlings or eggs they must be destroyed as well, no exceptions.”

“How do we know that what you are telling us is the truth and not simply you trying to stop us from our quest? You say you are a legendary dragon slayer but why is it that nobody in this room has ever heard of you with the exception of Gandalf? That book you are holding could simply be something you picked up or wrote with your own fantasies!” Kíli piped up, certain that the red-eyed Bosmer could not hold proof of her experiences without claiming to know a dragon personally.

Refridís was silent for a second, all the dwarves looking at her and some sharing Kíli’s doubt, before she got up and grabbed her bag by the door. After some rustling around, Refridís pulled out a cloak made of over a hundred scales of all colors and sizes which glittered and shimmered against the light of the fireplace as it was moved and spread it against the table. In the center of the cloak was a massive black scale that seemed to suck the very light out of the air.

“I come from a land very far from Middle-Earth and undertook a journey that no boat I know of has ever taken. I was unsure that this land even existed and had only Gandalf's words to guide me of its location. This cloak contains a scale from every Dovah I have ever found and slain. As proof that I did not simply find it, I have some loose scales that I still have to add on,” Refridís explained as she dropped five different colored scales on the table before picking up the cloak and tossing it in the fireplace, “and before you tell me to prove it is of Dovah origin, it is fireproof.”

Refridís took the cloak out of the flames with a poker, unwilling to show that she could not be burned due to the fact that dragon’s blood ran through her veins, before looking at Kíli, daring him to say something else. The young black-haired dwarf looked away, clearly disgruntled at being defeated, and the other dwarves muttered between themselves with curiosity and distrust. Thorin stayed silent through the whole exchange, observing the Bosmer with a steely gaze.

“If you all are quite finished questioning my credentials, I would like to continue,” Refridís said, sitting down, “I do not know how large, vicious, or powerful the Dovah of this land are but considering the fact that just one managed to overtake an entire army of Dwemer, I doubt that the thirteen of you will be able to take down the beast even with my help and expertise and that is if there is only one currently residing in the mountain.”

“Dwemer?” Thorin asked, wondering if he had just been insulted.

“It is the common name for dwarves in my homeland,” Refridís clarified, not wanting to gain bad favor with the leader of the group she would be traveling with.

“We may be few in number,” Fíli said with a smile, “but we’re fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!”

“And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!” Kíli said, deliberately avoiding the Wood Elf’s eyes.

Gandalf looked at the dwarves who were eagerly staring at him, “Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn’t say that, I-“

“How many, then?” Dori asked the wizard.

“Uh, what?” Gandalf asked, trying to think of what to say.

“Well, how many dragons have you killed? We know that your friend here has killed hundreds, how many have you? Go on, give us a number!” Dori continued.

The dwarves started to get riled up, jumping to their feet and arguing about the number of dragons Gandalf had killed while said wizard was embarrassedly coughing on his pipe smoke. Refridís gave a hard look towards him, having figured out by now that even the wizard who had called for her help had little experience with fighting dragons himself. This talk of bravery and fighting from the Dwemer had her shaking her head, mostly due to the fact that in all likelihood most of them, if not all, would die facing this dragon.

Everyone fell suddenly silent when Thorin jumped up and bellowed a command in Khuzdûl before saying, “If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?  _Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!”_

All the dwarves gave a mighty cheer before Balin pointed out an important fact, “You forget, the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain.”

“That, my dear Balin,” Gandalf said while producing an ornately wrought Dwarvish key seemingly out of thin air, “is not entirely true.”

Thorin looked at him with shock, “How came you by this?”

“It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now.” Gandalf explained as he handed over the key to the tall dwarf while the rest of the company looked on in wonder.

“If there is a key, there must be a door!” Fíli said and Refridís resisted rolling eyes at the blond Dwemer’s obvious statement.

“These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls,” Gandalf began.

“There’s another way in!” Kíli exclaimed, forgetting his foul mood in the excitement.

“Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done,” The wizard finished explaining, his eyes moving towards the hobbit.

Refridís froze for a second, wondering if Gandalf knew about her position within the Thieves Guild in Riften before she followed his gaze towards Bilbo, her heart sinking at what he meant.

“That’s why we need a burglar.” Ori said.

Bilbo, completely oblivious to the looks that the others were giving him, answered, “Hm. A good one, too. An expert, I’d imagine.”

“And are you?” Gloín questioned, giving the hobbit an expectant look.

“Am I what?” Bilbo asked, looking at the dwarf with confusion.

“He said he’s an expert! Hey Hey!” Oín said causing several of the dwarves to start laughing.

Bilbo was in complete shock at the current events before shaking himself out of his stupor and stuttering, “M--Me? No, no, no, no, no. I’m not a burglar; I’ve never stolen a thing in my life.”

“Gandalf, surely you can’t be serious about bringing him on this quest?” Refridís asked the wizard, horrified at the very prospect of her gentle host being forced to face a dragon.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins and Ms. Silduaan. He’s hardly burglar material,” Balin said, Bilbo nodding in agreement behind him.

“Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves,” Dwalin said, agreeing with his brother.

The dwarves once again began arguing, all of them trying to find the benefits and consequences of bringing the hobbit along with them. Refridís gave Gandalf a disappointed look and was about to attempt to talk him out of the idea but saw that he was getting agitated by the dwarves constantly questioning his choices.

“Enough!” Gandalf roared as he rose to his full height and cast a dark shadow over the group, “If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!”

The Grey Wizard began calming down as the dwarves froze in awe and fear before continuing, “Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth and fifteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins and Ms. Silduaan. There’s a lot more to them than appearances suggest, and they’ve got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including the hobbit himself. You must all trust me on this.”

“Very well,” Thorin said as Bilbo vehemently tried to deny any involvement, “We will do it your way. Give them the contract.”

Bofur gave a small cheer as Balin handed both Refridís and Bilbo a long contract before explaining what they contained, “It’s just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth.”

Refridís raised an eyebrow at that last statement while Bilbo squeakily repeated, “Funeral arrangements?”.

As Refridís was checking the contract, making sure that she wasn’t getting taken advantage of, she saw that Thorin and Gandalf were discussing something about Bilbo's safety.

'If they can't keep him safe, I will. I won't let such an innocent soul be devoured by dragonfire,' she thought quietly to herself, as she skimmed through the words looking for some key information, mostly what she would be paid. Refridís may be the savior of Skyrim, but she was still the leader of the infamous Thieves Guild and she couldn’t resist the call to gold that was deeply ingrained in her from both her mortal and dragon side.

Bilbo reached the information she wanted to know first and he read aloud, “Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fifteenth of total profit, if any. Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations ... evisceration … incineration?”

The hobbit looked towards the dwarves, his eyes as wide as saucers looking for an explanation before Bofur replied, “Oh, aye, he’ll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye.”

Bilbo began to look sick and Refridís got up, knowing the look all too well, and began walking towards the hobbit. Bofur continued with his rather vivid explanation and Refridís ended up having to dive in order to grab the hobbits head before it hit the ground after he let out a “nope” and fainted. Had he landed, it would have given him a rather large bump on the head, not to mention a nasty headache. She picked up the unconscious hobbit and sat him down on his chair, giving the dwarf in the funny hat, who was now looking rather embarrassed, a hard glare.

Once she was sure that the hobbit would be alright, she turned towards her own contract and read it in silence as the dwarves watched her face for any reaction. Once she finished, she gave a hum of approval and held her hand out, signaling towards a quill, and quietly signed it when it was passed to her.

“Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield. If you are as experienced as you say you are, you will be a very valuable member to our group,” Balin said as he stamped the document and gave her a gentle smile.

“Thank you, I hope I won’t disappoint,” Refridís said returning the smile to the older Dwemer, “Well if that’s that, I need to go outside to make sure that my horse is properly taken care of for tonight.”

 She grabbed her cloak and weapons before turning to Gandalf, “Tell Bilbo to come out and see me when he wakes up regardless of whether or not he signs the contract as I wish to have a word with him.”

Gandalf gave her a nod and with that, Refridís exited the warm home and walked into the cool night air. She was rather unnerved by most of the company and their suspicious looks and needed to get out and be alone for a while. She wasn’t bothered that she did not know the people that she was going to travel with as well as she would have liked, in fact that was something that happened all the time when she was completing quests back home, but it was the fact that these people were distrustful of her from the beginning. She always tried to get off on the right foot, knowing that they would be more willing to do favors and share information or to manipulate if she made a good impression on them.

 _'Damn that storm and that Dwemer. Couldn’t it have happened some other time?'_ Refridís thought angrily as she stroked Volkun’s neck, the black horse giving a sleepy nicker of greeting, 'B _ecause of him the company is already keeping a closer eye on me. It will be harder to communicate with Odahviing if they are constantly looking over my back. I cannot do anything that might cause them to be more suspicious of me, that means limiting my use of dragon language which means no Thu’ums for this journey'_

Refridís gave a frustrated sigh, “ _It’s probably for the best if I don’t use them anyway. I don’t have Odahviing to hold me back in case I… lose control. Can’t have that happening again... especially after last time.”_

 The Bosmer shook her head from her dark thoughts and sat down next to where her horse had decided to sleep. Looking into the night sky, she tried to find any of the familiar constellations from her home but the night sky looked completely different; she gave up shortly with a sigh. It had been a little under a month and she already missed the dancing lights of Skyrim and its constant frosty air despite it being Rain’s Hand.

She stayed outside for a good while, taking in the view of Hobbiton and enjoying the cool night air. She was instantly alert however when she heard the door to Bag-End opened and the almost indiscernible sound of footsteps approach her until they stopped a few feet away. She prayed to the Divines that it wasn’t Kíli and turned around only to see Bilbo seemingly fighting with himself internally.

“Hello Bilbo, glad that fainting spell didn’t last too long. Are you alright?” Refridís said with a smile as she quite liked the hobbit and his mannerisims.

“Hm? Oh yes, yes. I wanted to thank you for saving my head back there, would have been quite a nasty bruise tomorrow if you didn’t.” Bilbo responded, rubbing his head while taking the last couple steps before sitting down next to her, “Gandalf said that you wished to speak to me?”

“Yes but before I do, something is troubling you…” Refridís stated, leaving no room for questioning.

Bilbo was silent for a few moments before giving a sigh of exasperation, “Yes and no. I am torn up about going on this quest! On one side, I am a respected member of this community and no respected member goes off and has adventures out of the blue! It is completely unheard of, especially for a Baggins! On the other, I am also a Took on my mother’s side and this is my chance to see the world beyond the Shire. My younger self would have taken this chance and ran with it in a heartbeat. I just…I don’t know what to do. Gandalf told me that he could not assure my safety on this quest just to add to my list of worries.”

Refridís nodded with understanding, “You are caught at a crossroads my dear Master Hobbit. Should you turn down one of the roads, you may never know what would happen if you had taken the others but those are the risks of life. You need to look into yourself and see what it is you truly desire. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between what the head wants with all its thoughts and opinions blocking what the heart wants but I have learned a simple trick that allows me to clear these thoughts.”

“And what would you have me do?” Bilbo asked, genuinely curious.

“When it comes time for me to make a difficult decision, I take out a coin and place the desired outcomes on each sides. I toss the coin in the air and whichever side I hope it lands on is the one that I should take as it is what I truly desire,” Refridís explained taking out a gold coin and handing it to Bilbo, “You don’t have to do it now. Just don’t wait until you regret it.”

With that Refridís got up and started walking back towards the entrance that was left slightly ajar before turning around, “Should you decide that you want to come along on this quest, I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you from harm. This company wishes for you to take something from a dragon, something that is near impossible for even someone like me but I have learned many things over my years as a slayer that I am more than willing to pass on to you. You have my word for as long as I live.”

“I-I- thank you Refridís. I will think about it,” Bilbo said as he stared and turned the coin in his hands a couple times.

Refridís gave him a nod and went back inside, the hobbit following the Bosmer a few moments later and latching the door.

* * *

 

 Bilbo had granted Refridís permission to use the spare guest room he had for the night as that was what they had originally agreed upon before the dwarves had arrived. Refridís did not need many hours of sleep so she was busy sewing the loose dragon scales onto her cloak with a needle made of dragon bone and thread made of woven Frostbite Spider silk when she heard an odd sound echoing through Bag-End.

It was a deep and mournful sound that filled her heart and it was only when she heard voices that she realized that it was the Dwemer. She put down her work and closed her eyes as she concentrated on the rich deep singing of the dwarves.

_“Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long-forgotten gold_

 

_The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches blazed with light”_

Letting out the breath she didn’t realized she was holding, Refridís felt pity for the dwarves and their lost home. Though she could never truly know how they felt, she felt like she could understand where they were coming from, having lost her own memory so many years ago.

Her first memory was waking up as a prisoner, bleeding from the back of her head and being wheeled up to the execution block for a crime she did not know and remembering nothing. An old hunter who had been wandering the woods with his dog had found and named her after he found her skinning a fox she had caught shortly after the attack on Helgen. She had been so hungry and armed with only a dagger and a flimsy bow, she had no chance at catching a swift rabbit or jumpy deer and killed the first thing she could get her hands on.

When she went to Riverwood, she had met Faendal and helped him with his love problems with Camilla. It was after she finished her discussions with Alvor that she talked to the wood elf later that day for pointers on archery that she found out that Camilla wasn't at all interested in the elf but had enjoyed being the center of attention between the two warring men. She asked him if he wanted to follow her to help her with her journey and it was from that that their history together began.

But her history was still a mystery far after Alduin’s defeat. She had looked for anything that might tell her who she was but she never found anything, not even her real name when she went through the birth records and family trees of all the cities and towns of Skyrim. She went even as far as traveling to the great library of the Imperial City to check their records but nothing came up.

She shook her head, knowing it was better not to dwell on that particular subject as she attached the last scale, one of a frost dragon, to her cloak and tied off the string before cutting it with one of the daggers she had in her boots. She stared at her work, deliberately not looking at the black scale in the center, her skin prickling at the thought of who it had belonged to, before folding it carefully. Refridís casted a simple enchantment on the cloak to make it light as a feather, as she normally would after putting on the new scales. She had learned long ago that the cloak would be well over thousands of pounds with the amount of heavy scales that it was made up of but she refused to leave it behind and took it with her everywhere.

The moon was well past its zenith when she began to get dressed for bed, taking off her shirt and letting the night air hit her skin. Light filtering in a small window glinted off the black scales that covered her back and stopped at her shoulders, catching her attention.

They had began to appear about two years after she found out that she was the Dragonborn and had immediately gone to Odahviing for answers, leaving Faendal to wake up that morning to a cold spot where she should have been. Odahviing had told her that he had only heard tales about what was happening to her and explained that according to legend, as a Dovahkiin used more and more of a dragon’s power, their blood and soul would attempt to reflect their attributes physically while eating away at the person’s humanity until they would completely forget who they were. Refridís found this story to be true during her battle with Miraak, the first Dragonborn, when she managed to knock off his mask with a well-placed blow to the side of his head with her sword. To her horror, she saw that the edges of his face was covered in dark green scales, his yellow eyes serpentine with a glint of madness, his teeth pointed, canines overgrown, and the beginnings of horns growing through matted blond hair.

After the corrupted Dragonborn was destroyed by Hermaus Mora, Refridís had been terrified of the prospect of losing herself that she made a promise to not use the words of power unless absolutely necessary. Over time, she learned that each time she did use a Thu’um, there would be a small period of time where she could not control herself and she would lash out at anyone who was in the area with draconic brutality. Faendal had managed to bring her out of these spells by refusing to let her attack others and holding her until she regained control. He had gained more than a few scars to show for these bouts of madness. After he had died, Refridís, in her grief and anger, allowed herself to be controlled by her draconic side, shouting and attacking anyone who attempted to go near her. It was only when Odahviing received news of his friend’s state of mind that he flew to the caves she was hiding in and forced her to regain her senses. By then, the scales had climbed from the middle of her back and covered her shoulder blades.

 _“As long as I do not become like Miraak, I do not care for what I look like,”_  Refridís thought as she put on a nightgown, covering the shining scales from view, and laid down in her bed to sleep until dawn.

* * *

 

The next morning she woke up at first light to quiet chatter in the dining room. She quickly got prepared, putting on her green tunic along with her brown vest, black pants, boots, and traveler’s cape. She brushed her hair quickly and expertly braided it into her preferred style which allowed her ears to hear better now that hair wasn’t covering them. She grabbed her things and looked around the room, searching for things that she might accidently leave behind before she exited and quietly walked through the hall, being careful not to wake up Bilbo who still had his doors closed and that Refridís could hear snoring gently.

She gave a brief good morning, grabbing an apple that had somehow survived last night’s feast and walked outside of Bag-End, unaware of the storm that would be brewing behind her.

Thorin turned towards Gandalf, his face dark before saying in a dangerous voice, “You did not tell me that she was an elf.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man. I just looooveee cliffhangers so expect a lot more of them ;D  
> Hopefully the whole slowly turning more Draconic as the more power she uses isn’t too unbelievable and it was actually something I thought of while fighting Miraak a couple of months ago before I even had the premise for this story. I threw it in there because it may or may not play a large part in what I have planned for later in the story. It was also a good reason to explain why she would hide her Dragonborn abilities. Just to clarify, she can use dragon tongue without consequence (which is why she can talk to Odahviing without going crazy) but if she uses it with the intent of a Thu’um is when the effects kick in.  
> Reviews/comments are always welcomed and criticisms or questions will be answered next chapter. :)


	7. Rushing Waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry this was a bit late, I have family over for the next week and college has already been putting my ass in gear even though I just started yesterday (which was when this chapter was supposed to be out). Chapter updates might be a bit spotty the next couple of weeks until I get into a comfortable schedule so please bear with me~
> 
> Thank you to Mr. Review, DecrepitSoul, Victor, Guest, Sarah, Basia Orci, Ny’Kle, Liliesshadow, JustKeepSmilingRainbows, and Poekie117 for their reviews, comments and critisims! I am always overjoyed to read them and some of them really give me an ego boost.
> 
> Question Time:  
> To DecrepitSoul: I answered you in a PM so you already know my thoughts on your comment ;)  
> To Victor: Glad you liked that last chapter! And yes, there are a lot of little details put in this that may seem insignificant at first but will come in to be major players later in the story. Also, I am totally not offended by your LOTR comment earlier, I was actually thinking about it very minorly before I started writing the story but now I know that there might be interest for a possible sequel. We will just have to wait see how the story pans out. Thank you so much for your kind comment and I am glad that you consider my story to be good enough for you to think that it is a masterpiece. Also for your other review, let’s just say that there are some MAJOR differences between Skyrim’s creatures and Middle-Earth’s creatures that will take Refridís off-guard and flip everything she knows upside down.  
> Guest: Thank you for opinion on a more draconic Dragonborn! I am glad that the idea seems to be pretty well accepted and that no one has said that it is too “far-fetched” to fit into the lore.  
> Ny’Kle: It might take a while before that point in the story but I do have some special plans that take Odahviing into account! He’s not just there to look pretty~ ;)  
> Liliesshadow: Thanks to you too for your imput! Yes, I have seen some Miraak fanart (and might have contributed a bit too).
> 
> So after all that, I hope you enjoy this new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridis belongs to me.

Refridís had been outside preparing Vokun for their journey when she heard the door to Bag-End open and footfalls joined the quiet murmuring of the dwarves as they approached. She chalked up their quietness to not wanting to wake up the entirety of Hobbiton and continued packing things onto her black horse. It was when she turned around to ask Gandalf a question that she realized that she was being given venomous and distrustful stares by the majority of the Company as they readied their ponies.

“I’m sorry but I have to ask, what have I done this morning that is making you all to look at me in that manner?” Refridís asked after a few moments, shifting uncomfortably under the looks.

“You are an elf.” Thorin said in a low voice that was filled with anger.

“Yes and you all are dwarves. Is there a problem with my heritage?” the Bosmer questioned, crossing her arms and standing up straighter, already knowing what the issue was.

“Indeed there is. We have much cause not to trust elves as they have wronged us deeply in our greatest time of need and we have never had an elf offer help to us since Smaug took Erebor.” Thorin explained, his voice rising slightly.

“I do not know what troubles you have with the elves of this country but rest assured that I have nothing to do with them,” Refridís said while looking down at the dwarven leader with narrowed eyes, “Do not allow your past experiences with those of my race influence your judgment of my skills and loyalty. I have signed a contract and am also bound by my word that I will help your company to get rid the Dovah that resides in your home. Save your ire for those who deserve it as the Mer are scrutinized enough as it is in Skyrim.”

“Mer?” Thorin asked.

“There are more than one species of elf where I come from. I belong to the Bosmer, also known as the wood elves. There are the Dunmer, Altmer, Orismer, and Falmer. Each is distinctly different from the other and to call them all the same is to offend them.”         

“I do not care from which race of elf you belong to. I will warn you now, should I suspect treachery of any sort I will not hesitate to take action,” Thorin said coldly, getting onto his own ride and starting to walk away, the rest of the company following after him.

“It is acknowledged, you will have no worries of that kind with me.” Refridís responded calmly.

 _By Nocturnal’s Shadow, no wonder the Dwemer went extinct! Their pig-headedness and paranoia must have made them many enemies back in Skyrim. This is going to be a VERY long journey.”_ Refridís thought as she mounted her horse and kicked gently to move him forward.

* * *

 

 She was riding alongside Gandalf, not wanting to be next to the dwarves who were complaining that their overnight stay at Bag-End was a waste of time and how hobbits were useless, much to her annoyance, when they started calling out bets about whether or not Bilbo would show up. Gandalf had joined in and called out that Bilbo would appear without a doubt before turning towards Refridís.

“And what do you think will happen?” He asked her, the attention of the dwarves focused on the two of them.

Refridís gave a sigh, “While I hope that Master Baggins remains at home safe, sound, and away from the threat of the Dovah, something tells me that we will be seeing him very soon. I bet five coins against anyone who denies that he will show up.”

Some of the dwarves gave a slight chuckle as most of them had bet against Bilbo showing up and the prospect that an elf would owe them each five coins filled them with glee. That hope however was crushed when they heard a small “Wait!” coming from behind them. They stopped their rides and soon enough Bilbo passed them, gasping for air as he handed the contract to Balin.

“I signed it!” the hobbit said as he attempted to catch his breath.

Balin took out a pocket-glass and scrutinized the contract to be sure that nothing was changed or scribbled out before giving Bilbo a smile and stamping it, “Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield.”

While some of the dwarves gave a loud cheer, Thorin simply looked on, unimpressed, before ordering, “Give him a pony.”

Bilbo immediately started, “No, no, no, no, that-that won’t be necessary, thank you, but I-I’m sure I can keep on foot. I-I-I’ve done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once- WHA!”

The hobbit’s speech was cut off as Fíli and Kíli rode alongside him and picked him up from behind to put him on a pony.

“Glad to see you here Mister Boggins!” Fíli said, purposefully calling the hobbit by the wrong name.

“Many of us didn’t think you would come!” Kíli added on in the same joking tone.

“Its Baggins!” Bilbo responded as he was plopped down on his ride and grabbed the reins out of fear of falling off.

The two brothers just laughed and went back into their spots and Refridís took this opportunity to make Vokun ride alongside the tawny colored pony that Bilbo was placed on, “Hello Master Baggins. You know, I wasn’t quite expecting to see you here so soon.”

Bilbo gave the pony he was riding on a terrified look before he turned towards her with a slight smile, “I wasn’t quite sure myself. I woke up this morning to silence and a cleaned house, almost thought that it was all a very bad dream. It was only when I saw the contract lying on the table that I really started to think about the quest. I used your little coin trick but I already knew my decision the moment it left my hands.”

Refridís returned the smile, “I am glad that my coin was able to help you decide. You should keep it; you never know when you might need to use it again.”

Bilbo was about to protest when his horse tossed its head and gave a small neigh that caused the poor Halfling to grip his reins even tighter out of terror. It was at that moment when Oín spoke up.

“Come on, Nori pay up. Go on.” The dwarf with the hearing trumpet said.

Nori made a small sound of frustration before he tossed a sack of money to Oín who gave a small exclamation much to the amusement of the others. Right after the first pouch was passed, the air was suddenly filled with money passing between the dwarves.

“Keep your coins, I have no need of them,” Refridís said, quickly realizing that she was about to be bombarded with coin purses and trying to get onto their good sides.

The dwarves gave her a variety of responses varying from relieved looks to scoffs, as if they were ever thinking of actually giving her their coins. Refridís simply gave a quiet sigh and looked towards the tree line, wondering where Odahviing might be hiding and listening in to the conversations of the group.

After the whole exchange, Bilbo piped up and asked with a confused look, “What’s that about?”

Gandalf snapped out of his thinking and responded, “Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you’d turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn’t.”

Bilbo gave him a questioning look, “What did you think?”

The Grey Wizard simply gave a small hum before catching a sack of money that was tossed his way and placed it into his bag with a smile before turning to the hobbit, “My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second.”

Bilbo was about to comment when he let out a mighty sneeze, “Ohh, all this horse hair, I’m having a reaction.”

He patted and checked his pockets, looking for his handkerchief but when he was unable to find it he looked around panicked before exclaiming, “No, no, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around!”

The entire company came to a halt and the dwarves started objection to their temporary stop and asked what the problem was. Refridís was cut from her musings and she turned towards Bilbo with an eyebrow raised, wondering if the hobbit had come to his senses and realized that he was about to make a journey to fight a fire-breathing monstrosity.

“What on earth is the matter?” Gandalf said, very concerned about the hobbit’s sudden order.

Refridís had to fight back the urge to let out a frustrated growl when he said, “I forgot my handkerchief…”

Bofur, good-naturedly, ripped a strip of cloth from his clothing and tossed it to Bilbo with a smile, “Here! Use this.”

Bilbo caught the rag and immediately gave it a look of disgust while holding it as far away from him as possible. The dwarves began to laugh at his antics.

Thorin gave the Halfling a look of annoyance before ordering, “Move on.”

Gandalf gently scolded the hobbit saying, “You’ll have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey’s end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead.”

With that Gandalf moved forwards toward the front of the train of ponies and Refridís slowed her horse down so that it matched the pace of Bilbo’s pony. She took out a small square of clean, light blue cloth from her bag and handed it to him with a small wink.

Bilbo gave her an appreciative smile and rubbed his runny nose with it, “Thank you very much Ms. Silduuan, that was very kind of you.”

“Think nothing of it,” the Bosmer said, “and please, call me Refridís. Almost nobody calls me by my last name unless they are very unsavory characters who recognize me, mostly the Dov.”

Bilbo gave her a blink of shock, “Dragons can speak?”

Refridís gave a small chuckle, “Oh yes they can, they are unfortunately not just firestorms and thunderous attitudes. They prefer to use the tongues of humans to communicate but they do have a language of their own which they use while they fight. There is no distinction between a debate and combat to a dragon as being correct is the same as being powerful and fights between Dovah are often just arguments that got out of hand. The words of a Dovah in their own language can have very deadly effects as that is where their power stems from.”

Bilbo did a small nod, trying to understand her words, “So for this dragon I am facing, should it be awake, I should try to stop him from speaking?”

“No, no, quite the opposite actually. If he is speaking to you in common tongue then he cannot attack you. It is when it starts to try to get as close to you as possible and starts saying things that you do not understand that you should be worried. I would say that in order to try to delay an attack, I would try to work its ego as Dovah are very vain and proud creatures by nature. While I highly doubt that it will stop an attack, it will spare you some time to think of a way to escape or for help to arrive,” Refridís informed him, “I will teach you some more tricks that you can use when facing a Dovah. Let us just hope that you never have to use them.”

Bilbo swallowed hard out of nervousness before looking ahead and commenting, “We should probably catch up. I don’t think they would appreciate it if we fell behind.”

The Bosmer gave a hum of approval and kicked her horse into a slow trot so that Bilbo’s pony could keep up and the two quickly closed the gap that was forming between their party.

As they travelled further and further away from Bilbo’s home, Refridís began to worry about the distance between her and Odahviing. He said that he was capable of hearing her from leagues away even if she just whispered his name but she couldn’t help her nervousness. She glanced up into the sky but knew that there would be no red Dovah circling above them as the air contained nothing but sunshine. Normally the sun would have made her smile but it was cloudy weather that she currently wished for.

She gave the dwarves a quick glance,  _“Now there is another issue I have to deal with. I need to speak to Odahviing about what we are to face and tactics. Maybe Smaug is a Dovah that survived the Dragon War and flew across the ocean to Middle-Earth. Odahviing might know of him. I might try sneaking away tonight to talk to him as I have a feeling that these dwarves are rather heavy sleepers._

* * *

 

The day passed quickly and they rode for many miles through forests, hills, and plains. Refridís had admired their beauty and was reminded of Skyrim on a nice, sunny day without the cold rain or snow that often fell down on the mountainous country. The smell of the fresh grass as the ponies stomped it down filled the clean air and Refridís closed her eyes, feeling the sun shining on her skin and warming her.

“ _What a beautiful day. I would have taken Frost out for an easy day of hunting in Whiterun’s plains before finding a good spot to lay down to catch some of the sun’s rays,”_ Refridís thought wistfully, “ _The Dovah would be too busy warming their scales to even bother flying or attacking people. “_

The Company approached what seemed to be a slow moving river from the surface but Refridís knew from personal experience with the way the water moved that there was a strong undercurrent. Thorin, however, had decided that the area was shallow enough to ford and soon pushed ahead.

Refridís was about to call out that it was a bad idea when one of the ponies that was carrying most of their provisions lost its footing on the slippery river rocks and was quickly being swept away downriver. Before the Bosmer had time to react to the panicked whinnies of the dappled pony, both Fíli and Kíli jumped in after it and the river took them as well.

“Oh for the sake of the Divines,” Refridís cursed and kicked her horse to chase after them along the riverbank as the other dwarves yelled in surprise and concern.

* * *

 

 Fíli and Kíli had managed to reach the wide-eyed pony that was thrashing in the cold river water, fighting to stay afloat with the heavy cargo on its back. They gave each other a quick look of understanding and took out short daggers to cut the ropes that were keeping the provisions attached to the creature.

The pack was quickly removed from the pony and began to sink under the combined weight of the food and water. Fíli grabbed the reins and was doing powerful strokes towards the edge of the river and Kíli went to follow him only to find that he couldn’t move and that something was dragging him towards the deeper part of the river.

 He looked down and saw that several pieces of the ropes that they had cut from the pack had managed to wrap around and snare his leg and that it was bringing him along. As he attempted to call for help, the pack suddenly sank as it tipped over into a deeper area and he went under without a chance to get a good breath of air.

Kíli was filled with a sense of dread as the water completely covered his head and he tried to cut the ropes that trapped him with the dagger in his hand. It was near impossible as the cold water had numbed his hands to the point that it was actually painful to bend or move them. His lungs burned and felt as if they were going to burst in their desperation for air and black spots were quickly taking over his vision.

Kíli mentally cursed as the dagger slipped from his cold hands and sank. He couldn’t hold his breath anymore and let out a scream of frustration with what little air he had. He clawed towards what he thought was the surface of the river as he was completely disoriented by the weightless environment but the ropes refused to give him up and dragged him further into the water.

 _“NO! NOT LIKE THIS! NOT EVEN A DAY HAS PASSED SINCE THE OFFICIAL START OF OUR JOURNEY!”_ Kíli thought desperately as he felt his body begin to give up little by little,  _“I can’t leave Fíli behind! I can’t die without seeing the halls of our forefathers. I beg of you Mahal, please… Not like this.”_

As his last thoughts escaped him, Kíli saw black and the last bubbles of air escaped him as water filled his lungs and something seemed to pull viciously at the ropes around his ankles.

* * *

 

 Refridís kicked her horse into a gallop, trying to catch up to the swift-moving currents as they swept away Fíli, Kíli, and the pony. They were in her view for a moment before some rocks covered them and the wood elf cursed in Dovahzul. She went around the rocky outcropping and saw Fíli pulling the pony onto shore.

“Where is Kíli?!” Refridís shouted as she all but jumped off her horse to help the soaked golden-haired dwarf lead the poor, exhausted creature onto dry land.

“What do you mean? He was… right behind me,” Fíli said coughing to clear his airway of water as he turned towards the river.

A silent understanding of the current situation his brother was in cause Fíli to gain a horrified look and he shouted, “KEE!”

The dwarf started to run towards the river before Refridís managed to grab him by the shoulders and with a surprising amount of strength, threw him behind her so that he fell onto his back on the riverbank. The rest of the company was beginning to reach them when the Bosmer threw off her leather vest, boots, and pack with weapons, leaving just her thick white tunic, black pants, and hidden dagger, before diving into the cold river.

It took a couple seconds for her body to get over the shock as she went under the icy waters and she quickly looked around for any signs of life. She was about to rise for air when she saw a figure faintly struggling a little bit ahead of her. She kicked up and broke the surface to get a deep breath of air, hearing the panicked voices of the Company behind her before diving back down.

She saw Kíli’s struggles begin to grow weaker as she swam closer when a poisonous thought crossed her mind,” _If you let him drown, then he will never be able to prove your connection to the Dovah. It will be easy… just say that you couldn’t find him… and when they pull out his body downstream he will already be long dead.”_

Refridís shook that thought out of her head with an internal growl before continuing her swim to Kíli’s body. She grabbed the ropes that trapped him and pulled out a knife from her belt, quickly sawing through the thick ropes. His struggles had grown weaker by the second until he was utterly still bringing a new sense of urgency into the Bosmer’s actions.

Once the final rope released it’s death grip on the dwarf’s leg, Refridís tried to swim to the surface, the extra weight of her unconscious companion and her relatively small frame making it incredibly difficult. She looked at him and saw that the fur cloak on his back was weighing him down heavily and she made the decision to cut it loose. The water-soaked furs now off him, she shot towards the surface with strong kicks.

She gasped for air as they both broke the river’s surface and swam towards the shore, hair and water partially obscuring her vision. She let out a sigh of relief when she could finally touch the river’s rocky bottom and lifted Kíli over her shoulder as she stepped out of the freezing water.

She laid the raven-haired dwarf onto the bank as gently as possible, taking a moment to look at his incredibly pale face before leaning over so that her pointed ear was above his mouth as she felt for his breath and watched for his chest to rise. When neither of those things happened, she placed two fingers against his throat and checked for a pulse. It was weak but it was there.

Refridís began chest compressions, hoping desperately that it would be enough for the dwarf to begin breathing on his own as restoration magic was useless in the case of drowning. She saw that she was getting no reaction at all and gently raised his chin so that his airway was clearer before taking a deep breath, pinching his nose, giving a quick prayer to the Divines that this would work, and meeting the dwarf’s lips as she delivered a rescue breath.

It was only seconds later that Refridís was roughly grabbed and thrown off him. She snarled and turned to meet the venomous glares of Thorin and Dwalin.

“And what exactly do you think you are doing?!” Thorin yelled, outraged that an elf had all but kissed his nephew.

“Trying to save the damned life of one of your company!” The Wood Elf yelled back crawling to Kíli’s side and beginning chest compressions again.

It seemed as Nocturnal was smiling upon her as fortune would have it that Kíli began coughing and attempting to vomit up water. The Bosmer turned him onto his side so that he wouldn’t choke as river water rushed up from his lungs and onto the smooth stones next to him, making small circular motions on his shoulder blades in order to calm him down and whispering for him to breath normally.

Once Refridís was sure that the young dwarf wouldn’t die and would recover on his own, she got up and walked towards her abandoned equipment upstream, making sure she roughly pushed Thorin’s shoulder as she walked passed him and angrily muttered a, “You’re welcome.”

Thorin roughly grabbed her forearm and pulled her so that she was facing him, “Don’t ever do something like that again.”

Out of anger, Refridís answered sharply, “And allow one of your company to die? Then don’t make such a stupid decision ever again as it is by your instructions that this has happened. Even new adventurers know that just because a river looks calm doesn’t mean it is. Be glad that he is even breathing right now as he was well on his way to wherever you believe a soul goes after death when I reached him.”

The cold, wet wood elf yanked her arm out of Thorin’s grip and walked pass the rest of the company who was giving her mixed looks of shock, relief, gratefulness, and disgust. As she turn the bend that obscured the sightline between the two parties and approached her horse who was patiently waiting for her upstream, she let out a frustrated sigh while kicking a rather large rock into the river.

Though she had a heavy dislike for Kíli she would not allow him to die, or any of the company for that matter. As Refridís took off the wet shirt, leaving her underclothes still on, and replaced it with her new white tunic, her mind couldn’t help but wander over to the rescue breath she gave the dwarf. It had not been since Faendal died that she had meet another person’s lips, and she couldn’t help but admit that while the dwarf was as hardheaded as a bull, he was rather easy on the eyes.

Refridís shook her head, growling to herself a reminder that said dwarf would probably be as ungrateful as their leader for saving his life, simply because she was an elf. She was simply giving him a breath that had saved his life, nothing more and she wanted nothing more to come of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that last little scene was unexpected but want to incorporate some more parts of the book into the story so the part where Fili and Kili go after a horse and nearly drown struck out to me. Just as a reminder that this is a slow-building relationship story! "Love at first sight" stories sort of turn me off from reading a fic so I'm here for the long run. ;) Just as a reminder that this is a slow-building relationship story! “Love at first sight” stories sort of turn me off from reading a fic so I’m here for the long run. ;)  
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please remember to review, critique, or ask questions! I thrive off of them and get super excited every time I get a message that someone commented!


	8. Respect for a Leader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello everyone! Wrote one that is extra long and that I was meaning to post as two separate chapters but I couldn’t get it quite the length I wanted it to be so I just smushed them together. College is treating me nice enough so far that I think I am able to update weekly or bi-weekly though that might be subject to change in the future. Thanks to Ny’kle, DecrepitSoul, Basia Orci, JustKeepSmilingRainbows, Victor, Random Guest, and Fire of the Void for their reviews. Thank you to all of those who have followed and favorite and also thanks to the rest of who are just silently reading my story, as I never thanked you before!
> 
> Question Time!  
> Ny’kle: Just you wait and see ;)  
> DecrepitSoul: Glad I could move your emotions like that and yes, for now Thorin is a bit of an ass. I’m sure that the rest of the Dwemer will warm up to Refridís soon enough~  
> JustKeepSmilingRainbows: While I do not mind the “love-at-first-sight stories” I am definitely a bigger fan of those that build up the relationships over time. As for the rest of your questions, you will have to wait and see! Also do you mind if I shorten your name down to JKSR for my responses?  
> Victor: Ah we will just have to wait for that won’t we? I am pretty sure that they had some different methods to save someone if they were drowning back then but I just went with what I knew. I could probably make some lame excuse but it was more lack of research on my part (sorry!). Glad I could get you re-interested in the subjects of the story again!  
> Random Guest and Fire of the Void: Oh don’t be so sure that Daedric Armor won’t make an appearance. Refridís has quite a few tricks up her sleeves in the magical and powers department that she still has to show and will definitely be appearing during the story.
> 
> Anyway, on with the story!
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

It was nearly sunset by the time Kíli had recovered from the incident and Thorin decided that they would make camp on a nearby cliff face. Refridís had joined up with them a bit earlier and was attempting to glare holes into the back of Thorin’s head the whole way up. They reached a clear area that gave a breathtaking look over the nearby woods and valleys. As they settled for the night, it slowly dawned on the others that the pony that Fíli and Kíli nearly lost their lives for was the one carrying most of the food.

“We will have to ration what we have and eat what we can hunt whenever we can. I am sure there is plenty of game in the woods so somebody needs to go out and get something for Bombur to prepare,” Thorin said as he quieted down the exasperated grumbles of his company.

Refridís took this as her chance to talk to Odahviing and stood up.

“I will go. Might as well make myself useful since I couldn’t save the pack as well,” she said, purposefully giving an accusatory look in her leader’s general direction.

Before Thorin could react to the comment, Kíli quietly added on, “I should accompany her; it was my fault that we are now behind schedule. In addition, I am the only other one who knows how to effectively use a bow for hunting.”

Refridís wanted to scream at him for volunteering but knew that if she denied his help she would look suspicious and she was already on edge with Thorin and the Company.

“That sounds agreeable; we will be able to catch more things between the two of us and perhaps even be able to smoke some for later for when food is scarce,” the Bosmer responded, barely holding back her sarcastic tone.

Thorin had no choice to agree to let the two of them go together since they truly were low on food and he couldn’t argue with their logic. He gave her a warning look as the two of them armed themselves with their bows and headed out into the forest.

It was shortly after they had began following some deer tracks just inside the forest that Kíli spoke up, “Listen, I know we didn’t exactly have the best of introductions but I could have sworn that it was you that I saw in Ered Luin. However, I cannot deny that I am more than thankful for you saving my life and I am sure that many in the company feel the same way and are just too stubborn to say anything. Could we start over?”

Refridís looked up from the tracks to search his eyes for any dishonesty or teasing. When she found none she stood up and gave him a slow nod and a small smile.

“Well then, I am Kíli, son of Dís and nephew to Thorin Oakenshield, at your service!” the dark-haired dwarf reintroduced himself giving a comical bow.

Refridís looked at him with shocked wide eyes before quietly commenting, “Well that explains a lot,” She shook her head and responded, “Anyways I, as you know, am Refridís Silduaan, famed Dovah-slayer of Skyrim.”

“What do you mean that it explains a lot?” Kíli asked, his eyebrow quirked in confusion as he stood up straight.

“That you are the nephew of our leader, I should have seen the similarities when we first met but I had other things in mind,” Refridís responded, still trying to think of a plan to sneak away when she suddenly thought of something, “Say… do you think it would be a good idea for us to split up? We will be able to cover more ground in search of food. We should stay within earshot however, you never know what could be lurking in these woods and if we catch something too big for just one person to bring back we could help each other.”

Kíli looked around the woods and remembered how expansive they were from the cliff-face where the rest of the company was setting up camp.

He gave her a smile and responded, “Sounds like a plan to me. Should you run into any trouble just yell for me and I’ll come running.”

“I will hold you to your word!” Refridís yelled at him with a joking tone as he walked away from her into the forest.

Her smile immediately fell as he disappeared from her site and she turned the opposite direction, pulling up her hood and walking towards the darker part of the forest. She noticed in the low light of dusk that the moon was barely visible in the sky, perfect for Odahviing to fly undetected should he wish. She walked for a good ten minutes until she found a clearing deep in the woods and sat down, knowing that she would have to wait for the large red dragon to fly to her position.

_“Odahviing, bo nahlon ahrk soven, mu lost pogaas wah tinvaak dahvulo,”_ the wood elf whispered into the wind, knowing that her words would be carried in the wind. **{Odahviing, fly silent and secret, we have much to talk about}**

She only had to wait for five minutes before a shadow fell on the clearing and the Dovah landed silently with a surprising amount of grace for a creature so large. Normally when she faced a Dovah, they would land so forcefully that the earth would shake. With the speed he arrived, Refridís guessed that he had already been in the flying towards her location, following her scent.

**_“Eh mal ilit, I have been waiting for your call, my wings were getting stiff.”_** Odahviing mumbled so that his loud voice would not carry beyond the clearing as he laid down and began cleaning his claws.

“ _Krosis dii fahdon_ , it was not my intention to make you wait so long but we have run into a problem,” Refridís told him as she got up to stand next to him. **{I apologize, my friend** **}**

“ ** _Oo?”_** The mighty dragon questioned, looking up from his grooming.

“I thought that I would only have to convince the wizard who called me on this quest that you would bring no harm and would be of great help but unfortunately he has invited others. Fourteen in fact, and most Dwemer no less! I did not know that they still existed in the world. Apparently the Dovah I have to face has stolen their home and they wish to recover it.” Refridís explained to him, “They are not fond of your kind but then again not that many are.”

“ ** _Eh, this is quite a diron I agree. What will you have me do? Daal wah Keizaal?”_** Odahviing asked. **{Problem; Fly back to Skyrim?}**

“No, no, of course not. I hope I am not forcing you to stay but I feel safer knowing that you are close by in case these Dwemer cannot handle what fate throws at them,” Refridís responded quickly, “besides, who know what differences the Dovah have here. You saw how difficult it was for me to fight when I first saw that Serpentine Dragon on Solstheim. I do not want to be caught unprepared again. I may be unable to die but it doesn’t make it any less unpleasant to be burned to unconsciousness by dragon fire.”

Odahviing grumbled in agreement before asking, **_“Daar Dovah, does he have a name?”_**

“Yes I think the Dwemer mentioned a name. Smog, Smoug, Smaug? Smaug that’s what it was,” The Bosmer answered.

Odahviing gave a quiet snarl before Refridís suddenly reminded him to stay quiet, “I am certain they would have heard that, I can pass it off as thunder as I smell a storm coming. I take it you know the Dovah?”

**_“Yes, I know him and that is not his true name. His real name is Sahmungrah and rok los vax wah dov,”_** Odahviing spit his name before continuing, “ ** _I am embarrassed to call him my kliinzeymah.” {Sahmungrah: built up of the words Sahqon (crimson), Munax (Cruel, and Grah (Battle); he is a traiter to dragonkind; hatchmate}_**

Refridís looked at him with surprise, “He is your brother?”

“ ** _Geh, he is. I am surprised to hear that he is alive since tol nikriin went into hiding when the Dragon War began. He must have journeyed here to protect himself,”_** the red Dovah answered, “ ** _Daar los ahkon vutharaak. If he has been alive since the beginning of the War, he has probably grown incredibly large and powerful, perhaps even more so than Alduin since the World Destroyer was simply transferred forward in time rather than aged. Even Paarthurnax would be useless against him as he practically contained his soul and wasted away on the Throat of the World. We can only hope that my zeymah has not grown wise.” {The coward; this is troubling however)_**

Refridís’s stomach felt as if it had a boulder in it as she thought of fighting a dragon more powerful than Alduin. She sat down leaning against Odahviing’s warm neck scales and gripping her head. The dragon turned and nudged her arm slightly, worried that the information might have been too much.

“ ** _Krosis if my news does not bode well. You have my claws and wings for your battle, I will stay and fight with you.”_** Odahviing muttered, not wishing to send Refridís into despair.

“ _Zu'u nox hi, Odahviing._ I am glad to have you at my side.” Refridís answered taking his muzzle gently in between her hands leaning her head forward so that it bumped against the dragon’s. **{I thank you}**

In a rare show of affection from the great serpent, Odahviing closed his eyes and let out a puff of warm air into her face before raising his head out of her grip and looked in to the woods, “ ** _Tell me more about hin zeymahzin. I might as well know what I am hiding from.” {your companions}_**

Refridís gave a groan before responding, “The Dwemer are some of the most stubborn, pig-headed creatures I have ever met!  Absolutely paranoid about anyone who isn’t one of them. By the way, remember how you said that we would never see the man who found us in the cave? Do you who I had to save from drowning today? Yes, you guessed it, the very same Dwemer!  And what did I get? Their leader nearly breaking my arm for saving his nephew!”

Odahviing looked down at the ranting wood elf as she continued on and stayed silent as she explained her journey thus far. He quickly learned the names of his friend’s many companions and reminded himself to secretly check on them from time to time to make sure that they were trustworthy.

“At least Kíli had the decency to thank me afterwards and I still am getting nasty looks from some of them!” Refridís finished with a huff, her face red with frustration.

**_“I do not envy you mal ilit, it is for those very same reasons why Dovah prefer to stay away from one another. Just know that if you need anything I am simply a call away. I suggest you go back however, it is beginning to be very dark and I would not want you to be suspected due to your relationship with them.”_** Odahviing said gently nudging her to stand up.

“I guess you are right,” Refridís answered with a sigh as she got up, “I have to take down some prey so that I have something to show when I get back. Could you smell and see if you can scent a deer or something of a similar size?”

The red Dovah raised his head into the air and took in a mighty breath before shooting a threatening glance towards their right. “ ** _I believe we have company.”_**  He said with a small growl.

Refridís raised her bow in the direction before calling, “Come out now and I will decide whether or not to kill you after you explain yourself.”

Her raven-haired hunting companion walked out of the brush with an accusatory look and his bow raised. Upon seeing him, Refridís gave a frustrated growl before looking up into the sky while lowering her weapon.

“ _Los hi yirt zey!_ The Divines must hate me,” Refridís cursed before turning towards Kíli, “Well, what are you going to do now? Run off to Thorin and tell him you were right about me? That I am not to be trusted?” **{Are you kidding me!}**

“And what, let the dragon burn me alive as I run? I knew I was right about you. I knew that it was you I saw,” Kíli spat back.

“Odahviing will not attack anyone unless I order it or he finds a good reason to. You are perfectly safe in his presence as you were back on the mountain when you ran off.” Refridís responded calmly.

The Bosmer stared at the dwarf as a myriad of emotions passed on his face. It would be an understatement to say that she was absolutely shocked when he lowered his bow, curiosity winning whatever internal battle he was facing.

“So Odahviing is his name?” Kíli asked tentatively.

**_“It is,”_** Odahviing responded, his head towering over the dwarf, “ ** _You may walk forward. As mal ilit said, I will not bestow harm upon you should you come with no ill intent.”_**

Kíli walked forward slowly until he was a little bit away from the foot of the dragon. He had grown up on the stories his uncle told about dragons that painted them as vicious and unforgiving, yet here one was in front of him, relaxed and observing him quietly for any hostility. He turned towards Refridís only to see that the wood elf had an exhausted look on her as she rubbed her forehead.

“Are you alright?” Kíli asked, making sure to keep one eye on Odahviing.

“How long were you hiding there.” Refridís simply asked as she looked up at him.

“I heard a deep rumbling and came here as fast as I could. When I saw you conversing with the dragon I stayed hidden. I heard everything from when you mentioned that Smaug was this dragon’s brother.” Kíli blurted out.

“So you heard my ranting about the company.” Refridís said.

“Yes, and I do take a bit of an offense to how you described us but that is not the point. For Mahal’s sake, you have been hiding a damned dragon!” Kíli said, pointing to Odahviing.

**_“Watch yourself, dilfahliil.”_** Odahviing growled. **{Dwarf/Dwemer}**

“And I will continue hiding him from the company as long as you keep your mouth shut. Since you have been eavesdropping on us, you heard that he would accompany us and be willing to fight in case your dragon wakes up. Your friend says that it is dead in the mountain but unless there is some kind of deadly disease that affects dragons here, Smaug is most definitely alive and just sleeping.” Refridís informed him.

“You expect me to keep this all a secret from Thorin?!” Kíli argued back, shocked at the prospect and motioning towards Odahviing.

“Yes I do.” Refridís snapped back before taking a deep breath and calmly saying, “Look, I know this has shattered what small amount of trust you have gained for me but you have to believe me when I say that Odahviing’s presence here is a good thing. I was against Gandalf’s choice in Bilbo accompanying us and I have little to no doubt that the dragon will wake up, no matter how good or silent hobbits are said to be at sneaking. Please Kíli, if not for my sake, think of the hobbit. Do you really think he will survive an encounter? I promise I will tell Thorin and the company when the time is right but please, for now, keep this just between us. It will be better in the long run I promise.”

Kíli observed her pleading face for several moments before letting out a defeated sight, “Alright but if I sense that you are lying to me about the company’s safety with the dragon then I will tell Thorin immediately.”

Refridís felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders and she couldn’t stop herself from hugging the dwarf out of relief, “Thank you.”

“So… do I get a ride?” Kíli asked cheekily after he got over the shock of the wood elf’s sudden closeness.

**_“I think not. I am not a horse and it is bad enough that mal ilit has placed this saddle on me.”_** Odahviing grumbled back.

“Maybe one day, but for now we must return to camp. It has been far too long since we left the company and they most likely are wondering where we are. Thorin may not be so understanding should he be part of a search party and find us coherting with a dragon.” Refridís answered as she walked away and picked up her bow, “You didn’t happen to bring anything down have you?”

“There is the deer whose tracks we were following that I took down not to far from here. I shot it before rushing over here.” Kíli responded.

“Good, at least we have an excuse for our lateness,” Refridís answered before turning to Odahviing, “I will try calling for you again when it is safe and we are in a good place for you to hide. I suspect it might be a little bit easier now that I have a friend on the inside to cover for me. _Fey tirahk, lokzeymah.” **{Stay safe, skybrother}**_

_“ **Kiibok hin siifur tolaas, mal ilit. I also thank you dilfahliil for keeping my existence unknown. ”**_ Odahviing responded before taking off to find a good hiding place as plain daylight would have made his red scales very visible from the cliff-face. **{Follow your own advice}**

There was a moment of silence shared between Refridís and Kíli as they watched the crimson dragon fly away.

“I am placing a lot of trust in you. Please do not make me regret it.” Refridís said with a sigh.

“You have my word as a descendant of Durin.” Kíli responded, “Come on, let’s not make the others wait.”

They walked back with a comfortable silence between them and managed to find the deer before any other creature could tear it apart. Refridís made quick work of taking out the unwanted pieces while Kíli stood guard knowing that the scent of fresh blood may bring them unwanted company.

“So… what language were you speaking to the dragon? I never heard it before.” Kíli asked, his curiosity stoked now that he was certain that there was no danger.

“It is Dovahzul, the language of dragons. Very difficult to master and understand, it took me centuries of research to be able to speak it fluently.” Refridís responded as she prepared the deer to take back.

“Centuries? Exactly how old are you?” the dwarf asked.

Refridís gave him a hard stare, “Don’t you know it is rude to ask a lady her age?”

Kíli gave an embarrassed blush, “Sorry. What was it that he called me? Dilfahliil?”

“It’s nothing to be offended by, it simply means dwarf,” Refridís said finishing up, “You’re accent when speaking the language is absolutely atrocious by the way. Here, we should start taking this back.”

Both Kíli and Refridís picked up the skin wrapped venison and started to walk back.

“Well sorry, not all of use could spend time learning a language that doesn’t even exist here…also, I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you know what to do when I was…drowning? I don’t think I ever learned the method you used,” Kíli said with a slight red tinge on his face.

“I meant nothing by our lips meeting, it was simply a way to save your life so don’t get any ideas,” Refridís warned him before continuing, “You tend to learn different things when your children are running around getting themselves into trouble.”

A thick silence fell on them as Refridís realized what she said and looked away. Kíli stared at her in confusion, “Children?”

“Adopted. Human orphans of a civil war that ravaged my homeland,” the Bosmer said quietly as she refused to meet his eyes, “I found them abandoned in cities, sleeping outside nearly frozen to death. I took them under my wing when no one else would.”

“What were their names?” Kíli asked softly after a moment, hoping he wasn’t going to be scolded for intruding into her personal matters.

“Sofie and Lucia,” Refridís said with a gentle smile, “my two little flower girls. Sofie would always bring me something fresh from the kitchens that she had learned to bake with my housecarl while Lucia would bring me something she had found while exploring the woods around our home.”

“And where are they now?”

Refridís' face took a look as hard as steel, “Long dead. Both poisoned by Lucia’s husband after he kidnapped her child. He was part of a cult that sought out to kill me but was smart not to face me directly. Knew that my family would be the best place to strike in order to hurt me. He took the child and disappeared. I never found him despite putting all my resources and contacts into the quest, and I have many, many contacts.”

Kíli was shocked into silence and Refridís announced that they had arrived, an invisible mask of indifference seeming to take over and hide her true emotions and thoughts. He had never noticed it before but now that he had gotten to know his elven companion a bit more, its existence was painfully obvious. While he felt happy that Refridís trusted him enough with her secret companion and was opening up to him, he still felt a twinge of disappointment that she felt the need to hide her emotions from the rest of the group. She was actually quite pleasant as a friend and hoped the others would be able to see that eventually, despite her rather frightening tendencies. He already knew some of the group who had respect for her, even with her heritage.

Speaking of the rest of the group, how in Mahal’s name was he going to hide what he found out from Fíli? His elder brother was very observant and probably would immediately sense that Kíli was hiding something from him.

_“I’ll just try my best to redirect him.”_ Kíli thought as they both reached the clearing.

“Finally, I was about to send out a search party.” Thorin said as they came into view.

“While I thank you for your concern, it was unnecessary for you to worry yourself,” Refridís answered as she dropped her portion of the hunt in front of the ginger dwarf who would be making their meal, “The deer in these lands are much more clever than the ones in Skyrim. There you could practically hunt them by hand with how unobservant they are but the ones here actually need some skill to take down. You have your nephew to thank for the catch.”

Thorin gave a small nod in Kíli’s direction before turning towards her, “We heard a loud rumble from the forest, you wouldn’t have anything to do with it would you?”

Refridís scrunched up her face slightly in annoyance, “Surely even you can smell the rain coming this way? There is a storm brewing from the north, what you heard was probably thunder.”

Thorin gave her a suspicious look, obviously not believing her fully before turning around and addressing the group, “Eat when it is ready and get plenty of rest, we travel quickly tomorrow. Fíli, Kíli, you take first watch. Nori, Dori, you take second.”

* * *

It was late at night and the only ones awake were Gandalf, Bilbo, Refridís, Fíli, and Kíli. The wood elf had already inspected her swords to make sure that they were fully charged and sharpened. She was going through her ingredients pouch, throwing away anything that had withered or become useless for potions when she saw Bilbo get up and walk over to his pony. She gave a smile at the hobbit’s terrible subtlety of sneaking the apple that he was feeding the pony he called Myrtle. She couldn’t help but doubt Gandalf for his choice of burglar as even novice thieves at the Ragged Flagon were stealthier than the Halfling in front of her.

Her entire demeanor changed immediately when she heard a scream pierce the night air and Bilbo ran back towards the firelight. She unsheathed her sword Inferno, which glowed with amber light, flames licking the blade, and prepared for battle in case something was following the hobbit.

Behind her she heard a shaky whisper, “What was that?”

It was Kíli who responded, “Orcs.”

Another scream pierced the air before Bilbo whimpered, “Orcs?”

“Throat-cutters. There’ll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them.” Fíli started and Kíli continued, “They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood.”

Refridís looked away from where the screams had originated from to see a very frightened Bilbo and two very amused dwarves who began chuckling at the Halfling’s reaction.

She was about to scold them when Thorin, who she didn’t realize had woken up, growled, “You think that’s funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?!”

The rest of the dwarves began stirring, wondering what the commotion was when Kíli responded back in a low tone, “We didn’t mean anything by it.”

“No, you didn’t.” Thorin spat back while walking to the edge of the cliff to look over the valley they would travel tomorrow, “You know nothing of the world.”

Refridís stayed quiet, knowing that if she said anything about being a Blood-kin to the Orc tribes back in Skyrim she would never gain the trust of the Company. It was strange however how they described them here. The ones who worshipped Malacath were much more showy with their strength and ferocity, she only met a few who would attack from the shadows and even then they would instill fear in their target before taking them out. She could probably count on her hands how many she had known to have peaceful occupations outside of their homes.

She looked at Kíli who seemed hurt by his uncle’s comment and gave him a look of sympathy as Balin walked between the two Durin brothers.

“Don’t mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first,” the old dwarf began, “Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin’s father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us.”

Refridís flinched at the description of what she had no doubt was a large and bloody battle, memories of Skyrim’s Civil War which contained devastating losses to both sides of the conflict clouded her mind. The only way to end the death and destruction during a time when dragons were a rising threat was if she stepped in, something she was not proud of as she regretted some of the decisions she had made looking back. She was also curious about the type of Orc that Balin was describing but had no desire to meet him. She turned her gaze towards Thorin, feeling some pity for him and understanding some reasons for his behavior and hostility, as she listened to the rest of the story.

“That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent… wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. It was a short battle between the two and I was worried that the Orc would indeed fulfill his goal that day as he swung his mace to end the prince. Thorin had managed to grab a discarded sword and swung, cutting off his attacker’s mace arm. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken.”

The rest of the camp was fully awake and actively listening as Balin finished his tale, “Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. As I looked around the battlefield covered with our dead I saw Thorin, holding the oaken branch that would become his namesake and I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King.”

Refridís let out a breath as the story finished, gaining a new respect for the leader she thought as selfish and ungrateful. The entire company was watching their leader in awe, some of them only having heard snippets of the story previously, as he turned and walked between them towards the fire with a grim look on his face, obviously not pleased with having had to relive his memories of that day.

Bilbo quietly asked, “But the pale orc? What happened to him?”

“He slunk back into the hole whence he came,” Thorin said, his voice cold with hatred, “That filth died of his wounds long ago.”

Refridís turned to look across the valley as Thorin ordered them to get rest, as they would leave at dawn. She squinted when she saw something moving in the distance and caught sight of what looked like to be a wolf running away into the brush on another cliff but saw nothing else. It was much bigger than the ice wolves of Skyrim and brought an uneasy feeling in her gut as usually where there is one, there are others. She could only hope that they would continue to head the opposite direction and away from the Company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things happening in this chapter and I’m pretty sure that this answered some questions that were asked. I wanted a little more interaction and distrust between Refridís and Kíli when he saw her with Odahviing but I just couldn’t think of a proper way to work it without having to change a couple major plot points later on in the story (which is partially the cause of why Odahviing’s meeting and Thorin’s story were not separated). 
> 
> Anyways, hope that you guys enjoyed reading the story so far! Remember to review/critique/comment and that any questions asked will be answered next chapter~


	9. Of Magic and Trolls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for the fifty reviews and over 5,000 views! I honestly never thought it would get this popular. I was expecting maybe 10 or 12 for the whole story but holy shit this is way beyond my expectations. Anyway, I am glad that you all liked the last chapter! Thanks to Ny’kle, JKSR, Victor, Jerel Cheek, DecrepitSoul, Guest, Random Guest, and hi for your reviews! Thanks as well to the favorites, followers, and silent readers! 
> 
>  
> 
> Question Time:
> 
> JKSR: Glad that you are excited for the story! We will see plenty of Refridís’ reactions to things that are different in Middle-Earth as the story goes on, some comical and some serious. I already have Odahviing’s appearance to the rest of the company planned but that might not be for a while. Kili will definitely have some problems hiding his secret from his brother but you will just have to wait and see how it pans out. Refridís definitely has some fears, the biggest being loosing control of her draconic side and being unable to protect those who she cares about. She has some other ones but those will be shown later in the story. Let’s just say that it has been QUITE a while since the events of Alduin’s defeat and that her exact age will be told in the future. It would definitely be interesting to see a reversal of locations. The company would probably be freaked out at how Skyrim’s people react to a dragon attack, face it and then go on like nothing happened. Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter~
> 
> Victor: It’s alright, I posted this in the middle of the night (though I was a bit confused when I read Fili and not Kili but knew that it was probably a typo). It did take me a while to find a good dragon name for Smaug and no end of going through online translators to find something I liked and made sense. I also agree with you about the spots that are told of the battle between Azog and Thorin and it annoys me when authors don’t fill in the spots that are shown in the movie rather than told (but that’s just a little peeve of mine). I had to look up the origins of Orcs online as I don’t have The Silmarillion but I do have to agree with you that their origins is in fact very sad (it kind of reminds me about the Falmer actually). The Daedra do have some minor parts in the story but they are quite aware of the Dragonborn’s sudden absence in Skyrim ;) I plan to explore more of Refridís background as the story goes on so that readers can see what motivates her. Glad you liked it!
> 
> Jerel Cheek: Wow you must be reading my mind because you are very, very close to guessing some things that I have planned. But not quite there! Glad that you enjoyed the chapter and hello new reviewer~
> 
> DecrepitSoul: I was actually trying to think what kind of reaction he would have and flipping his shit was definitely one of the options I was thinking of taking but I think that since he’s seen both of them before and that she saved him, he give her a chance to explain herself. As always, I’m happy to read your review and I understand about the late stuff (apparently FF has been having trouble with it so it’s not just you missing updates)
> 
> Some one has PMed me about the multiple little grammar mistakes in the past chapters and I wanted to apologize for them. English is not my first language and I try to double- and triple-check the chapter before I post it but some always manage to get through. Alrighty now that that is done, here is the chapter you have all been patiently waiting for, enjoy~
> 
>  
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

_Pain lanced down her body as she looked around at the corpses that had piled up on the battlefield, the wails and moan of those injured echoing through the valley and fires dotting the landscape. The air was thick with the scent of blood and it choked her as she breathed in. A mighty shout brought her attention to the commotion happening behind her and she spun around, highly aware of the bloodstained armor that she was currently wearing. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw a massive white dragon attacking Faendal who was protecting Sofie and Lucia behind him. He was sent flying back several feet as the dragon struck him on his chest with its spiked tail and it turned to face the two girls, both of whom were wielding ebony swords gifted to them by her for their eighteenth birthday._

_Refridís attempted to rush and defend her daughters but was frozen in place. She couldn’t even yell as the dragon barreled down on them breathing smoke and fire on her children. They fought bravely, managing to strike the beast several times so that a few drops of blood fell from his scales but the powerful dragon was too much for the girls and they fell before him. The dragon stood on its hind legs and stretched to its full height giving an ear-shattering roar of victory as it unfurled its snow-white wings before it bent down and grabbed the two in his jaw._

_With a sickening crunch, her daughters were ripped apart and disappeared down the gullet of the beast. As blood dribbled down it’s mouth it turned towards her and she found herself able to move again._

_She fell to her knees, numbness overtaking her as she saw her family killed before her and she looked up at the creature that had done the deed. Its eyes were like chips of sea ice and they seemed to stare into her very soul._

**_“You never were able to save anybody you cared about could you? All those years of research and hiding and for what? How were your feeble attempts were at saving your daughters as they laid in their deathbeds, choking on their own tongues and screaming as the poison raced through their veins? How useless did you feel as the light faded from their eyes?”_ ** _the great white Dovah rumbled with a hint of glee in his voice as he took in the Bosmer’s tear stained face, **“How very pathetic.”**_

_She felt a spark in her very essence as the dragon spoke. It took her numbness and turned it into rage. As she felt her anger rise, she began to hear the voices of the souls that were contained within her._

_“_ Tear him down!”

“Destroy those who go against us!“

“How dare he challenge our strength?!”

_Behind the rising voices, one rose from the depths of her being, a black sound that seemed to rattled her bones as it spoke,_

“ ** _Destroy them all. Leave no survivors.”_**

_Fire. Pain. Screaming. Pain. Begs for mercy. Pain. Pain. Pain._

_As her raging vision cleared up, she had to hold back a scream of horror as the white dragon had disappeared and been replaced by the burnt bodies and faces of the company who all stared at her._

_Bilbo stepped forward, his skin charred black and he held out his blistered hands towards her, “Why did you do this to us? I thought you were protecting us!”_

_Refridís held out her hand to reach for the hobbit and was about to beg for forgiveness when she saw that her fingers had turned into claws and her hand was covered in black scales.  She looked down at her tattered armor and saw that scales covered every inch of her skin. The wood elf was only slightly aware of the strange weight on her back until they shifted and stretched. She looked back to see massive black wings unfurl and she gave a panicked look towards the company._

_K_ _í_ _li walked forward and gave her a sad, betrayed look, “I thought you said that I could trust you…”_

* * *

 

Refridís gave a gasp as she jolted up in the cool predawn air and quickly reached over her shoulder to feel her back, praying to the Divines that her scales had not progressed overnight despite her lack of Thu’um use. A sigh of relief passed her lips when she felt that nothing had changed and gave a quick glance around the camp to take in her surroundings.

Nori and Dori were chatting quietly, looking at the dying embers of the campfire and away from her so they could not have seen her reaction. The rest of the company was sleeping peacefully, if the snores were anything to go by, with the exception of Bilbo who was looking at the group with a look of frustration, tiredness hanging from his eyes.

Refridís rolled up her sleeping bag and quietly walked over to where the hobbit was looking at the group before gently asking, “Did you get enough rest?”

Bilbo gave a slight jump before turning towards the Bosmer and grumbling, “Dwarves are as loud asleep as they are awake. I have no idea how anyone can get any rest with these lot. I managed to get a few hours of shuteye before I was woken by some rather obnoxious sounding snores.”

Refridís gave a quiet chuckle before looking at the sky and saying, “These dwarves are going to be in the same mood as you soon. We are out in the open and it looks like it is going to be quite a downpour.”

No sooner did the words leave her mouth that the first few patters of raindrops begin to hit the stone around them and a gentle roll of thunder sounded. At the sudden wetness, the dwarves got up, many exclaiming sounds of indignation, and quickly packed their things.

Remembering how close the screams from last night were and the possibility of an Orc attack, she pulled out her Nightingale armor and began to secure it on top of her tunic. While she usually just wore her skivvies underneath the armor, she definitely was not going to undress in front of the company.

_“If we are going to be attacked, I might as well be prepared,”_ the Bosmer told herself as she buckled her armored gloves.

She fastened her cloak on her shoulders and raised her hood to protect her from the rain as she packed her belongings. The dwarves who were on their horses were urging their companions to hurry up, hoping that the forest down below would grant them some cover from the quickly approaching storm.

She strapped her bag on Volkun and pulled up her mouthpiece, the chilling rain stinging her lips and waited patiently for the stragglers to get on their ponies. The caravan began to move and everyone was grumpy from the rude awakening given to them by nature.

They quickly rode down from the cliff face, careful so that they ponies would not lose their footing, and were trudging along the muddy forest floor as the sky continued to pour rain upon them. There was a cold breeze that passed them every now and then that made the weather even worse and Refridís could feel her horse shudder from the cold beneath her as the rode. This was not the hearty breed of Skyrim, who could walk through a blizzard with little complaint as their thick, shaggy fur would protect them from the biting cold. She was partially tempted to use some magika to summon a small flame to keep her and her ride warm but knew it would be unfair to the others so she dismissed the idea. She did, however, pull out a water pouch full of tea she had prepared at Bilbo’s home, which she warmed up using a fraction of the magic used to conjure fire. She pulled down her mouth-cover and took a few sips of the warm, sweet drink that reminded her of the apple cider that was served at festivals during Frostfall back in Solitude.

It was only a few minutes after they set out that Dori called out, “Here, Mr. Gandalf, can’t you do something about this deluge?”

Refridís looked curiously towards the wizard, wondering if he could dispel the storm above them. She really did not know much about the wizard’s capabilities but the way that the company described him made her believe he was incredibly powerful. Dispelling or summoning storms was something that only master magika wielders were capable of doing as it required a large amount of magic to bend the laws of nature. It was only recently that she learned how to do so without having to rely on the dragon shout to help her.

“It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard,” Gandalf grumbled, obviously affected by the weather as well.

“Are there any?” Bilbo asked.

Gandalf turned towards him and asked, “What?”

“Other wizards?” Bilbo further explained.

“Refridís has told you that she is the Arch-mage of the wizards college in her homeland but there are five of us that reside in Middle-Earth. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I’ve quite forgotten their names.”

Bilbo looked towards the Bosmer who was currently peering at him from underneath her hood sipping her drink, embarrassed that he had forgotten of her abilities before continuing, “and who is the fifth?”

Gandalf responded, “Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown.”

Bilbo, without thinking, wondered out loud, “Is he a great Wizard or is he… more like you?”

Refridís had to stop herself from snorting out her tea in laughter as Gandalf looked at the hobbit slightly offended. She managed to pass off her mirth as coughing but she saw that the others she was riding alongside with were also grinning at the halfling’s comment.

“I think he’s a very great wizard, in his own way,” Gandalf started, “He’s a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world.”

The Bosmer decided that one day she would like to meet this Radagast as they would surely find many things in common. Her heritage as a wood elf allowed her to be closer to animals and even speak to them in some cases. They would come to her aid if she ever needed it and more than once she had calmed a raging bear whose hibernation nest she had accidently stumbled upon.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Fíli asked her loud enough for the others to hear, “So Refridís, as an Arch-mage, could you get rid of this storm?”

She turned so that she could see him out of the corner of her hood before saying, “I can, but I won’t.”

Bofur spoke up from behind her and asked, “and why not?”

“Well if you wish for it, I certainly will but forcing nature to change in order to fit ones desires is not something that should be done lightly. Nature knows what the earth needs and like a mother, tends to those in her care. However, also like a mother, she can be very fierce when she cannot fulfill her duty and fights against those who endanger her charge. I can get rid of this storm now but be warned that we will face one that is much worse in the future if I do,” Refridís explained, “I would be upsetting the balance that keeps this world alive and those have consequences that I’d rather not meddle with.”

There was silence after she explained her reasoning of not clearing the storm and a heavy sigh of disappointment from several members. They would rather be cold and wet now than face whatever would happen if the storm were cleared.

The company continued to trek across the forest floor and Refridís thought back to the wolf she had seen last night. Normally she wouldn’t worry about such a thing, as wolves were quite common in Skyrim’s forested areas but this one made her feel on edge. This one was quite a bit larger than it’s Nordic cousins but from what she could see, was also built differently. She just wished she could have gotten a better look at it before it had darted away.

Refridís took another small drink from her pouch and looked into the rainy sky that showed no signs of letting up in quite a while. She wondered where Odahviing had hidden himself from the flood of rainwater, as she knew her friend despised the water and back home would fly to Evergleam Sanctuary in order to take shelter whenever it rained. It was very rare to see any dragon out during a storm, even those of who breathed frost.

The wood elf took a glance towards Bilbo who has riding alongside Gandalf when a vision of his burnt body from her dream filled her mind. She gave a violent flinch before shaking the thought away.

_“I need to show him some more tips on dealing with the Dovah. If Smaug is more powerful than Alduin there is absolutely no chance in Oblivion that Bilbo will be able to face him and come away alive. I promised to protect him. I will not fail,”_ Refridís thought to herself.

She was about to kick her horse into a trot to speak to Bilbo about training when Kíli’s voice caught her attention as he called her name. She turned around towards the dark-haired dwarf and saw that he was motioning for her to come ride alongside him and his brother. She gave him a questioning look to which he simply urged her to come to them. Refridís pulled slightly on Volkun’s reins so that his pace became a slow walk and moved from the middle of the group to near the back where the two brothers were conversing.

“… lling you nothing happened last night. I’m just saying that Refridís is trustworthy and we need to convince the others as well,” she heard Kíli say as she got closer.

“What made you change your mind, her rescuing you from the river?” Fíli responded in a teasing tone.

“Well that yes, but not for the reason you are alluding to!” Kíli said, his face turning a bit pink.

“What is going on back here?” Refridís asked once her horse was parallel to their ponies.

“Tell Fíli here that nothing happened between us last night! He’s been pestering me about what happened since we returned from the hunting trip.” Kíli asked, making sure that his brother didn’t see the pleading look he was giving the wood elf.

Refridís turned towards the dwarf with golden hair after shooting a reassuring look towards Kíli and said, “Nothing happened between us, what makes you think something did?”

“Well you were gone for an awful long time to just return with a single deer is all I’m saying.” Fíli explained, a grin decorating his bearded face, “Plus, my brother here is not acting like himself after the trip.”

“He’s probably just embarrassed by the fact that he fell out of a tree while trying to get a better vantage point,” Refridís quickly lied before looking at Kíli.

Kíli gave her a quick glare, before playing along and hissing, “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone!”

Refridís gave a shrug before answering, “You wanted your brother to leave you alone, now he knows.”

Fíli gave a loud chuckle before turning to his brother, “Is that all? Why wouldn’t you tell me that you embarrassed yourself in front of an elf by falling out of a tree?”

“Because now I will never hear the end of it,” Kíli muttered as he kicked his pony forward and moved away from them.

Fíli gave a loud laugh but after Kíli had gotten far enough away, he turned towards Refridís and quietly said, “I never got to thank you for saving my brother’s life. I promised our mother that I would take care of him and I don’t know what I would have done if I lost him. I apologize for my uncle’s behavior towards you and want to let you know that not all of us thinks of you as he does.”

Refridís gave him a nod, “I’m was only doing what is right, I will not allow someone to die if I can help it.”

They walked quietly and the rain transformed from a pounding down to a hard patter before the golden haired dwarf asked, “So you said you could change the weather with magic, is there anything else you could do?”

“There are plenty of other things I can do. I have studied magic for a very long time, even discovering some new spells that I share with my students at the college,” Refridís answered.

“Could you show me one?” Fíli asked.

The Bosmer thought quietly at what she could possibly show the dwarf that would impress him before a sly smile crossed her face, “You wouldn’t happen to have anything made of iron or silver would you?”

Fíli fumbled around his pockets for a bit before pulling out an iron dagger and handing it to her with a curious look on his face. Refridís held it in her hands, temporarily releasing Volkun’s reins and concentrated. A gentle green glow flowed from her hand around the weapon and within a few seconds, the dagger gained a brighter sheen. She handed it back to a curious Fíli.

Fíli turned it over in his hands a few times before giving the wood elf a shocked look, “You turned it into silver.”

“And I can do more. Hand it back to me,” Refridís said, grinning.

It had been a while since she saw the face of someone who was shocked by what magic could do as everyone in Skyrim was used to mages doing all sorts of things. She took the now silver dagger from Fíli and used a bit more magic to turn the shining silver into glistening gold.

Fíli quickly took it out of her hand, inspecting it and looking at her in awe. Refridís moved her index finger to her mouth in a shushing movement and a quick wink before gently kicking her horse forward leaving the bewildered dwarf to quickly stuff the dagger in his pack.  

* * *

 

The days passed with relative ease after the rain had stopped and the air began to warm up. Refridís attempted conversations with the other dwarves, some of which were more than happy to talk and learn about their elven companion while others simply ignored her. It was quickly approaching sunset one night about a week after they had set out of Hobbiton when they began to pass the ruins of an old, abandoned farmhouse.

“We’ll camp her for the night,” Thorin ordered, “Fíli, Kíli, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them.”

Refridís heard Gandalf whisper in a sad tone but had an edge of worry, “A farmer and is family used to live here.”

Thorin was telling Gloín to start a fire when Gandalf turned to their leader and said, “I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley.”

Thorin stopped what he was doing and turned towards the grey wizard and all but growled, “I have told you already, I will not go near that place.”

“Well why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice,” Gandalf replied calmly, listing off all of the positives that such a destination would bring them.

Refridís’ head perked up at the mention of other elves and she decided to listen in on the conversation that was going on behind her as she helped to unpack.

“I do not need their advice,” Thorin spat, “Its bad enough we have to travel with one, I’d rather not be surrounded by them.”

Gandalf tried to reason with the dwarf, “We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us.”

“Help?!” Thorin whispered strongly before continuing in a rising voice, “A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orc plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing! You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father?”

“You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past,” Gandalf responded, Refridís hearing the rising tension in his voice.

“I did not know they were yours to keep,” Thorin said simply.

Refridís was not expecting for the wizard to angrily stomp pass her as he headed towards the woods ahead.

Bilbo looked up from his unpacking with a startled look on his face, not having heard the discussion that had just happened, “Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?!”

“To seek the company of the only one around here who’s got any sense!” Gandalf yelled behind him as he walked away.

“Who’s that?” the Halfling asked innocently.

“Myself, Mr. Baggins! I’ve had enough of dwarves for one day!”

Refridís was only slightly offended at the wizard’s comment but knew that he needed sometime away to cool off, having dealt with her own share of hard-headed nobles. She was partially tempted to follow the wizard but the fact that they would be without a magic user in case of an emergency made her stay.

“Come on, Bombur, we’re hungry,” Thorin said to the ginger dwarf, ignoring the fading grey figure in the distance.

Refridís heard Bilbo whisper to Balin, “Is he… he is coming back right?”

The hobbit was only met with an unsure look and a shrug. 

* * *

 

Night had quickly fallen since Gandalf left and Refridís was enjoying the soup that Bombur had prepared. He was one of the kinder dwarves who had allowed her to observe him as he cooked and even allowed her to add some dried snowberries after she explained to him about the restorative properties they held.

After the dwarves had saw her add the berries however, some refused to eat it claiming that she was trying to poison them and were only satisfied that it was safe after the Bosmer ate a whole bowl of the concoction, a deadpan look on her face the entire time.

There had been idle chat before she heard Bilbo talking to Bofur in a worried tone, “He’s been a long time.”

“Who?” Bofur asked, smacking his lips after he drank out of his bowl.

“Gandalf,” Bilbo clarified.

Bofur gave a chuckle before speaking, “He’s a wizard! He does as he chooses!”

The hatted dwarf handed the hobbit two steaming bowls of soup, “Here, do us a favor: take this to the lads.”

Refridís watched Bilbo disappear into the brush, confident that the two brothers could handle anything to protect the small man in case he should run into trouble. She turned around just in time to see Bofur cuff Bombur who had been reaching to grab another ladle.

“So lass,” Balin began from across the fire, “you know about us but we don’t know much about you past what Gandalf has told us. Care to tell us a bit about your self?”

Whatever idle chatter had been going on stopped as the dwarves turned towards their elven companion.

Refridís shifted uncomfortably under their stares, making sure to keep her face guarded before asking, “Is there anything specific you would like to know?”

“Not in particularly, just tell us about yourself and where you come from. Maybe start with that strange armor of yours,” the kindly dwarf added.

Refridís weighed the decision about whether or not to tell the company of the armor’s origin as it’s existence was supposed to be kept secret, but seeing as this was not Skyrim and they had no way of finding the location of the Twilight Sepulcher she explained to them, “This is the sacred armor of the Order of the Nightingales, a secret group of only a very few who have promised their life and service to the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. She is the deity of night, darkness, and luck and is also known as the Night Mistress or Lady Luck. She is the patron of thieves and spies but her shadowy powers are not meant to be harmful or violent. One of the other members of our order once described her to me as “a scolding mother who pushes her child to do better” and in all my years under her service, I have not found a better description than that.”

“Do you have any other deities of your world?” Ori piped up, the young scholar thirsting for more information as he scribbled in a little journal he seemed to carry everywhere.

Refridís laughed slightly, “Oh you better believe it. Tamriel has many different provinces and while many of them have the same basic deities, their names, what each of them are capable of doing or which ones are held as sacred or damned as cursed is different for almost all the different peoples. One such example that caused an entire war was the divinity of Talos, the hero-god of the Nords. It is an understatement to say that the Altmer despised the idea of a human being raised to godhood and banned his worship across the entirety of Tamriel, their recent victory over the ruling Empire making their influence reach far and wide. Not that it helped them in the end…”

A haunted look quickly passed over her eyes before clearing her throat, “As for where I come from, Skyrim is considered to be a very unforgiving place and the creatures living there even more so. It is a province nearly completely surrounded by mountains and its northern location means that in most places it is covered snow year-round and so the predators there adapt to the harsh conditions,” Refridís explained, pulling out her snow bear cloak, “This pelt comes just from a single snow bear and you can tell by its size that it is a rather intimidating creature. Definitely not one that you want to have sniffing around your tent in the middle of the night as this one was.

The people there are also very hardy folks. The proud Nords I spoke of make up most of the population and they are some of the most bull-headed people I have ever met. I don’t particularly like them, some of the more closed-minded tend to believe that Skyrim is just for the Nords and look down upon anyone who is not one of them. However, there will always be those in life who you must work with even if they do not seem to appreciate the effort you put in,” the wood elf strategically paused and looked around, with an eyebrow raised as some of the dwarves coughed and looked away.

“As for me, I do not like talking about myself that much. I hold many pretentious titles given to me for my accomplishments, some I actually received by accident, but I prefer to work in the dark, away from the center of attention. I go where I am needed and help solve problems that arise in the nine holds that make up the province. “

“You said you have slayed dragons before,” Dwalin asked, questioning how much of a warrior was contained in her body, “How many?”

Refridís gave a short humorless bark of a laugh, “You saw my cloak, one scale for each dragon.”

“What got you into the business?” the bald warrior continued.

“Now that is a story-“ Refridís started, already manipulating and taking out parts of her journey that would give away what she was but at that moment Fíli and Kíli burst through the brush with wild looks in their eyes.

“Grab your weapons, we must hurry!” Kíli yelled at the group.

“What! What happened? What is going on?!” Thorin asked, having partially been listening to the wood elf’s conversation, and grabbed his swords.

“Where’s Bilbo?” Refridís asked rising and grabbing her bow.

“He’s off trying to rescue our ponies from the trolls that took them!” Fíli answered.

Refridís’ heart skipped a beat in terror for the Halfling before giving a dangerous glare and yelling, “AND YOU LEFT HIM ALONE?!”

She dashed off into the brush where they had come from with the company close behind her and she followed the dim light through the thick foliage until she stopped short before a clearing and observed the three massive figures that were chasing the poor hobbit around.

“What in Oblivion are those creatures?” She whispered fiercely to Kíli who had kneeled next to her.

He gave her a confused stare before responding, “I told you, they are trolls.”

The Bosmer gave the dwarf a bewildered look, “Those aren’t trolls. Trolls are large man-shaped hairy creatures with three eyes. These things look more like very fat giants than anything else.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about but my guess is that what trolls are in Middle-Earth and what they are in Skyrim are two very different things.” Kíli responded looking back to the scene before them.

Refridís was about to comment on something when she heard a “Gotcha!” from one of the trolls and looked towards Bilbo, fear poisoning her heart as she saw him dangling from the fat fingers of the so-called trolls.

“Are there any more of you little fellas ‘iding where you shouldn’t?” the one holding the hobbit asked.

Bilbo gave a quick, “Nope” trying to struggle out of his captor’s hands.

 “’e’s lying!” Another one cried out.

“No I’m not!” Bilbo asked, his struggles growing more desperate.

The Bosmer silently commended the hobbit’s courage and loyalty to the company but felt ice in her stomach when the one who called Bilbo a liar yelled, “Hold his toes over the fire! Make him squeal.”

Refridís was trying to quickly construct a plan to rescue the Halfling when Kíli ran out of the bushes with a mighty war cry and slashed at one of the trolls legs, making him howl and fall down.

_“Is he absolutely insane!? There is no way that the company can take on these three behemoths without loosing someone!”_ She thought angrily, carefully climbing up a tree in order to not gather any attention to herself.

“Drop him!” Kíli yelled at the troll holding Bilbo, his sword ready for combat.

“You what?” the creature asked stupidly.

“I said,” Kíli repeated, glowering as the light from the fire flickered off his face giving him an ominous look, “Drop. Him.”

The troll gave a roar and threw Bilbo at Kíli who dropped his sword in order to catch the Halfling. As they were both knocked down due to the force of the throw, the rest of the company charged out of the bushes yelling and brandishing their weapons. Refridís nocked her arrow and let it fly into the neck of the closest troll, the enchantment on her bow causing a brief but extremely painful shock to run through his body as he yowled in pain. She continued to let arrows fly, trying to find a weak spot that would take them down properly as the dwarves began hacking, slashing, and hammering their legs. She watched as Bilbo ran across the battle and grabbed one of the troll’s knives and cut the ropes that had been keeping the ponies captive. Her breath was caught in her throat and she nocked an ebony arrow in her bow as one of the trolls grabbed Bilbo and knocked some of the dwarves away. The battle suddenly stopped when the dwarves realized that the trolls were holding Bilbo by the arms and legs.

“Bilbo!” Kíli cried out in worry for his friend as he rushed forward, looking ready to tear off the fingers that gripped the hobbit.

“No!” Thorin growled, grabbing him and holding him back.

One of the trolls gave a toothy grin, “Lay down your arms, or we’ll rip his off!”

Refridís’ bowstring was taunt and ready, electricity sparking off the arrowhead, aiming for the creature’s head as she wished to kill it immediately or at least incapacitate it and held her breath to steady her shaking hand. She was unsure if Thorin would lay down his arms for the hafling’s life. Their raven-haired leader looked between his weapon and Bilbo before planting his sword into the ground with frustration. As the others dropped their weapons the trolls began to grab them and stuff them into bags, legs first so that their heads were still poking out.

She released her breath and lowered her bow, putting the arrow back in its quiver and watched the chaos unfolding beneath her. There was no way she could take all three of them on her own and hoped all would survive, she needed to find help fast.

* * *

 

Kíli looked around in the trees from the position he was thrown in the pile, searching for red eyes in the darkness. It was on one particular branch that he saw the wood elf looking down at them, waving her hands trying to get his attention. He gave her a questioning glance as she motioned him to be quiet. She grabbed something out of her bag and wrapped it around her. The thing gave off some smoke before it disappeared, taking Refridís with it.

He laid helpless on the heap of dwarves as the trolls began to talk to each other about how they would eat them.

“Don’t bother cooking them. Let’s just sit on ‘em and squash ‘em into jelly,” one of them said.

“They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage,” the one holding a ladle responded.

From the spit that was slowly being turned, Dori cried out, “Is this really necessary?!”

“Ooh, that does sound quite nice!” the first one said.

From the pile of dwarves tied in bags Oín and Gloín were yelling at the trolls, “Untie us, you monster!” “Take on someone your own size!”

Kíli’s attention was brought away from the struggling dwarves towards the fire that was roasting his companions. The hot flames that were dancing merrily a few seconds ago was slowly being encased by crackling ice, dropping the temperature of the clearing drastically.

“Bit chilly ain’t it, OY. WHAT ‘APPENED TO THE FIRE?!” the troll who had pulled out a handkerchief cried out.

“Now we’ll have to find some dried wood to restart it,” another moaned.

“Never mind the fire or the seasoning! We ain’t got all night! Dawn ain’t far away, so let’s get a move on. I don’t fancy being turned to stone.”

Kíli was surprised when Bilbo suddenly cried out, “Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!”

Dori cried out to the hobbit, slightly more comfortable now that a fire was threatening to cook him alive, “You can’t reason with them, they’re half wits!”

He heard Bofur mutter to his friend, “Half-wits? What does that make us?”

Bilbo somehow managed to get enough coordination in order to stand up in his sack and he faced the trolls, “Uh, I mean with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning!”

“What about the seasoning?” the ladle-bearing troll asked.

Bilbo looked around slightly flustered before saying, “Well have you smelt them? You’re going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up.”

Kíli felt highly offended at the hobbit’s explanation. How dare he talk to their enemy, and give them cooking tips no less! He certainly did not feel like becoming some trolls late night meal! And they certainly did not smell with the recent bathing they had received from this morning’s downpour. Apparently the rest of the company shared Kíli’s thinking as they began calling Bilbo a traitor and the ones in sacks attempted to kick him down.

One troll roared at the dwarves to silence them before turning to the hobbit, “What do you know about cooking dwarf?”

“Shut up,” the one carrying the ladle said, “and let the, un flurgaburburrahobbit talk.”

The trolls were looking at Bilbo expectedly as he scrambled for an answer, “Uh, th-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-“

“Yes? Come on.”

“It’s, uh-“

“Tell us the secret!”

“Ye-yes, I’m telling you, the secret is,” Bilbo paused for a moment, “to… skin them first!”

The troll who had been urging on the Halfling turned around, “Tom, get me the filleting knife.”

There was a large outcry from the dwarves as they threw insults towards Bilbo.  Unbeknownst to them, their wood elf companion had returned from her search for Gandalf and was currently trying to get the hobbit’s attention. Bilbo saw them slipping behind some trees and Refridís’ signal to carry on with his distraction. He gave her a quick nod before returning his attention to the trolls in front of him that were getting rowdy once again.

“What a load of rubbish!” the one called Tom exclaimed, “I’ve eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all!”

“’e’s right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!” another one agreed as he grabbed Bombur from the pile and dangled him upside down over his mouth, “Nice and crunchy.”

Bilbo saw the dire situation and yelled the first thing that came to mind, “Not-not that one! He-He’s infected!”

“You what?” Tom asked.

“Yeah! He’s got worms in his… tubes.” Bilbo responded.

The one holding Bombur dropped him back in the pile of Dwarves in disgust backing up quickly.

“In-in fact,” Bilbo continued, “they all have, they’re in-infested with parasites! It’s a terrible business; I wouldn’t risk it, I really wouldn’t.”

The dwarves were looking at each other in confusion.

“Parasites, did he say parasites?” Oín asked to himself.

“We don’t have parasites!” Kíli cried out, “You have parasites!”

“What are you talking about, laddie?” Gloín asked.

The rest of the dwarves began to chime in to the growing crowd, crying out that they didn’t have parasites and how foolish Bilbo was. The hobbit rolled his eyes as the dwarves slowly messed up his plan. He just hoped that whatever the two wizards were planning, that they would do it soon as his dwarven companions seemed to be as thick as the stones they mined. Thorin had seen Bilbo’s eyeroll and understood his plan. He gave a swift kick to the others and a look. There was a moment of silence as it only took them a few seconds to processed that this was a distraction and they all started to play along. Soon, all the dwarves were proclaiming about how they were riddled with parasites.

“I’ve got parasites as big as my arm!” Oín yelled.

“Mine are the biggest parasites! I’ve got huge parasites!” Kíli shouted.

As they continued their proclamations, Tom turned towards Bilbo, “What would you have us do, then, let ‘em all go?”

“Well…” Bilbo began to say thoughtfully only to be cut off.

“You think I don’t know what you’re up to?” Tom asked before turning to his companions and pointing at the hobbit, “This little ferret is taking us for fools!”

“Ferret?” Bilbo asked slightly offended.

“Fools?” one troll asked in the same tone.

“Enough o’ this! Let’s just eat ‘em now! They ‘ave no parasites!” Tom said, grabbing two dwarves from the pile and bringing them to his mouth.

Refridis and Gandalf rushed out on top of a large rock above the clearing, their loud steps gathering the attention to everyone below. As Refridís concentrated on something in her hands, Gandalf exclaimed, “The dawn will take you all!”

“Who’r they?”

“No idea.”

“Can we eat ‘em, too?”

Refridís held out her hands towards the trolls and let loose a blinding light that chased away any darkness in the area before jumping down towards the dwarves. The trolls had dropped the sacks and were howling, clutching at their eyes at the sudden painful brightness.

She sliced at the ropes that trapped the dwarves in their sacks, “We must act quickly, grab your weapons! The light will fade away in a few moments and we will be open to attack. Dawn is just arriving on the horizon. Hopefully Gandalf is correct about his timing!”

As the light disappeared, the trolls saw the now free dwarves scrabbling their weapons and charged towards them, unsheathing their cooking knives. An inferno flickered in Refridís’ hands as she aimed at the trolls but Gandalf struck the boulder with his staff, splitting it in half with a mighty crash and allowing the sunlight behind it to pour into the clearing. As the light touched the trolls’ skin, they began turning into stone letting loose screams and howls of pain as it crackled. Within seconds, three stone statues stood were the trolls had been just a second ago along with some very relieved dwarves who were cheering for their magical saviors.

“Oh, get your foot out of my back!” Dwalin snapped as he struggled to get himself free of the spit.

* * *

 

Refridís had melted away the ice she had summoned to put out any remaining flames and Oín and Gloín helped get their companions free. She walked over to where Kíli was grabbing his bow and asked in a teasing tone, “So… you’ve got huge parasites, huh?”

“Oh, shut up,” he responded in a joking tone, as he turned around to meet her, “and where did you disappear off to?”

Refridís gave him a smile before answering, “Went to find Gandalf. I could not find a proper weakness for those trolls and rather than heading into battle headfirst without knowledge I went to get some help from someone who would know what to do. I haven’t survived this long by not asking for assistance.”

Her expression turned dark, “By the way, that was an absolutely foolish thing for you to do! You could have gotten yourself and others killed! And leaving Bilbo to go against three trolls by himself, what were you and your brother thinking?”

“We thought he could handle himself, being a burglar and what-not,” Kíli responded, trying to defend himself from the questions. The elf’s tone reminded him of a mother scolding a child and for a brief moment he felt like a child being caught with his hand in the sweets jar.

“You and I both know that Bilbo is a long ways from being a burglar. I have to give him credit for his courage and quick thinking, but just does skills does a proper thief not make,” she said in a low voice.

“And how would you know what makes a proper thief?” Kíli asked.

Refridís gave him a small stare before a secretive smile crept on her face, holding up a sword, “Experience.”

Kíli recognized the sword as his and patted the place where he had just sheathed it only to find it empty. The wood elf tossed it back to him before walking towards Bilbo. Kíli followed her figure as she kneeled down close to the sitting hobbit and held out his scratched up arm. A warm and gentle white glow surrounded her hand as she pressed it against the wound and when she pulled away, the cut was gone without a trace.

“ _There is a lot more to that woman than what she is telling. What bigger secret could she be hiding than that she is friends with a dragon?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, this is a longest chapter I have written so far. The Labor Day weekend has given me a bunch of free time to write.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed reading this. I know some of you were looking forward to a big all-out fight with the trolls but Refridís has been designed as a character of caution who thinks things through before making a decision and isn’t one to rush headfirst into battle. One of you asked about her use of magic as an Arch-mage so here I put in some little. Bonus points to anyone who can name all the spells used!  
> No Dovahzul translations for this chapter and I am not expecting to use any in the next either though I do have some surprises planned within the next couple of chapters that I can’t wait to write down.
> 
> As usual, your reviews, comments and questions will be answered next chapter and they are always welcomed!


	10. Inferno Carved in Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello once again everyone! Sorry for the lateness but the internet ran out at home so I couldn’t post the chapter during the weekend. There is not much to talk about so this is just a short little blurb before I get into the questions (if I do not answer to you specifically that is because the question was already asked and answered or because it will be resolved in the current chapter). Thanks to the reviewers: Basia Orci, DevineWhisper16, PassiveResistance, Ny’Kle, Victor, Jerel Cheek, Mr. Review, Kat, hornet07, Hefster, and killer4853! Thanks to all who have followed, favorited, or read silently~
> 
> Question Time!  
> To PassiveResistance: I agree with you, sometimes some authors just seem to give up after they establish the connection and it is a bit sad. Here’s hoping that my standards remain as high as I wish them to be for the whole story!  
> Magic does works about the same and there are some pretty crazy spells that I could use in the future. The Refridís file that I use while gaming is maxed out/legendary on heavy armor, archery, sneak, speech, lockpick, and smithing but as you can tell there are some very noticeable differences in the story, especially with the magicka which I am actually terrible at in all areas with the game and hardly use it but I needed a credible way for Gandalf to reach my OC so I thought, secret wizard room in Winterhold! I am planning for a very specific Daedra character to be appearing within the next couple chapters so keep an eye out for that. I don’t think Refridís would be so much angry but more frustrated with the Withered Heath territory. After all, she still has to search for the pack of free dragons that I mentioned near the beginning of the story so maybe she hopes that they will be there. Glad you enjoyed the chapter~  
> To Ny’Kle: It’s true that Odahviing could have been introduced at that moment but I was actually thinking about the many dragons that I have seen killed when fighting against giants on the plains of Whiterun. In addition, given that there were three creatures larger than giants in the middle of a highly wooded forest, I didn’t believe it to be wise for a fire-breathing, flying creature to be introduced at that time. Thank you for your review~  
> Victor: Hello my friend! Thank you kindly for your explanation about the Withered Heath (I was about to go look it up) and let me just say that the majority of your questions will be answered in this chapter ;) The dream was simply a vision as I explained that Faendal died peacefully in his sleep in a previous chapter and the girls did die of poisoning though it was when they were a lot older. Serena will not be in this story physically as, though I enjoyed the DLC and what it brought to the table, I simply did not like the characters that much (the DLC as a whole just seemed kind of forced and the characters a bit one-dimensional though that is my opinion). I played Dawnguard just to get it done and to learn more about Skyrim’s history.  
> To Jerel Cheek: Thank you kindly for your comment, it brought a smile to my face. I will tell you that I am planning for this to be a rather long multi-chapter story as I personally enjoy the type with a semi-slow pace with action dotted through out (but that’s just me). I am still on the fence about continuing on with LOTR but I will be placing some plot devices in just in case I do decide to continue it past the Hobbit.

Refridís had just finished healing some minor scratches that her hobbit friend had gained when Thorin ordered the company to move along and search for a cave as the trolls could not have moved far from the place that they took sanctuary in during the day. The wood elf wrinkled her nose at the thought of going into a troll cave, having had plenty of previous experiences when adventuring. Seeing the behaviors of the Middle-Earth trolls made her think that while they may have wildly different physiology, they had the same smells and as a result their homes would probably be in much of the same shape as their smaller, hairier counterparts of Skyrim.

She was partially tempted to separate from the group for a little bit in order to tell Odahviing about her company’s nightly experience and to be careful with the creatures in this area but knew that troll hoards often had valuables that might be good for later use or for money when funds were low so she searched with the dwarves, trying to find the direction of where the stench that permeated the air was stronger.

It only took a few minutes before Bofur announced that he had found an opening densely covered in forest greenery. The dwarves regrouped and entered the fly-infested cave that was littered with the bones and rotting flesh of past troll meals. Refridís was quickly regretting the decision not to go talk to her draconic companion as the cave became the most foul-smelling thing she had ever found. She was thankful that she still had her protective face piece on as the full blow of the smell would most likely have overpowered her sensitive nose and caused her to vomit.

Nori seemed to agree with her as he voiced her thoughts, “Oh, what’s that stench?!”

“It’s the troll hoard,” Gandalf replied as he subtly covered his mouth with his hand, “Be careful what you touch.”

As the dwarves walked further into the cave they began to cough and retch at the pungent smell that could only be described as troll. However, it greatly lessened the moment that their torchlight made piles of gold coins and other treasures glistened in the darkness.

Refridís’ adventurer and thief side made themselves known as her first reaction to it was to gather as much as possible into her bag while her draconic side made her want to get the rest of the group away from the treasure and claim it as hers. She quickly beat down all of the ideas and regained her self-control in time to stop her from leaping towards the valuables. However, she could not stop the slight thrumming of power that was echoing through the cave.

_“No, it can’t be,”_ The Bosmer thought, looking around desperately and hoping that the others were reacting as well only to be severely disappointed when she saw them still gawking at the initial pile of coins, _“How can one be here?”_

“Seems a shame just to leave it lyin’ around,” Bofur remarked about the glittering treasure, “Anyone could take it.”

Gloín nodded, “Agreed. Nori, get a shovel.”

The dwarves split up into smaller groups and began exploring the cave for things they could take on their journey. Refridís wandered away from the more crowded area of the cave and towards the back where the power seemed to be calling her name. There was a partially collapsed entrance that was thickly covered in cobwebs and seemed to have been untouched for centuries as it was too small for the trolls to be able to reach. Refridís scraped away some of the thick webs and immediately recognized some of the ancient carvings that were faintly etched into the stone.

She magicked a flame in the palm of her hand and carefully burned away more of the silky covering, making sure not to accidently set the entire cave on fire. It was there, partially hidden between two rocks like it had been thrown in carelessly, that she found a golden dragon claw with the talons made of a very light, silverish material. Her breath was trapped in her throat at the possibility that the Nords may have come to Tamriel from Middle-Earth, totally disproving the theories of hundreds of researchers who were attempting to piece together a history of their ancient ancestors. She had known the stories and legends that the people of Skyrim came to the land from a faraway place but her finding now proved it. Not only that, but it would mean that there were Words of Power also hidden throughout the country that she would have to find.

She was looking at the claws underside, trying to discern what the symbols that would be the code for the door of some barrow or tomb when she heard heavy footsteps behind her and hid the claw in her pack. She quickly turned around to find Kíli standing a few steps away.

“Find anything of use back here?” He asked, clearly curious as to why she was so far away from the others.

“No,” the wood elf stated while walking past him, “Unfortunate really, usually the best and most useful things are the furthest away from the entrance.”

Kíli was quiet for a second before muttering, “You’re lying…”

Refridís froze and turned towards the dwarf, a cold look entering her eyes and hissing, “There was nothing back there. It would be in your best interest not to call me a liar.”

“I gave you my trust in exchange for keeping your rather large secret,” Kíli whispered back forcefully, “why will you not trust me with whatever it is you are hiding? Surely it can’t be worse than who you keep as a companion.”

Refridís gave a small sigh before answering softly, “Because there are things that you are better off not knowing about me, that will simply put you at much greater risk than what you need to be. Please Kíli, it is not because I want to keep them away from you, it is because I must keep them secret for the safety of the whole company. It is bad enough that you know of Odahviing, please do not try to dig any deeper. It is unimportant and unnecessary for our quest unless I happen to mention it.”

With an air of tired finality she walked towards were the others were stuffing their coin pouches with loot and Thorin was looking at some weaponry, leaving Kíli to stare at her back as she took her flaming light with her. He glanced around the area were she had been searching and saw various ancient carvings on the walls that were unlike anything he had seen within Middle-Earth before. On one of the walls that she had burned away the old spider silk was a scene carved in stone. It depicted a fight between a great dragon and a single armored warrior wielding a sword. The stone was carved expertly to show rolling waves of fire coming from the dragon’s mouth but the screaming warrior seemed to be meeting the inferno with a fire of his own creation.

Kíli looked back and forth between the carving and the elf who was now busying herself with collecting some jewels, trying to make a connection and wondering why she had been so upset with him when he called her out on her lie.

_“She will explain to me in time when she is comfortable but she also said that it was essential to the safety of the Company and I need to know if it is worth telling Thorin about a possible threat.”_ Kíli thought to himself before walking away towards the lighter part of the cave where everyone was gathered, abandoning the old carvings to once again be taken over by age and arachnids.

* * *

 

Refridís was digging through a small pile of gold, deciding to indulge herself slightly by taking only the most flawless of jewels to be smithed later into jewelry.

She was looking at a particularly large sapphire when she heard a sword being unsheathed. She turned quickly, hand on her weapon and alert for any possible dangers, years of having many run ins with bandits when she thought an area was clear making her twitchy and paranoid. She only calmed down when she saw that it was only Gandalf holding a dusty blade. Her curiosity instantly peaked; she wandered over towards the wizard and her leader.

“Nor were they made by any smith among men,” Gandalf told the dwarven lord, answering some previous question that Thorin had asked, “These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age.”

At the realization that he was holding elven swords, Thorin started to put the one in his hand away in disgust, acting as if he had touched the foulest filth that there ever was. Though, Refridís was offended at the dwarf’s reaction, she had to slightly agree with him. Not even she would use a blade crafted by the traitorous Thalmor, but she quickly reminded herself that the elves here might be very different than the ones in Skyrim. She would have to call herself a hypocrite if she judged others based on previous experiences, having reprimanded Thorin back in Bilbo’s home for doing the very same thing.

Gandalf shot him a look and said, “You could not wish for a finer blade.”

Thorin reluctantly brought the weapon to his chest and drew it out of its sheath a few inches, inspecting the blade and making sure that Gandalf wasn’t simply trying to trick him into keeping a blade made by his enemies. Refridís, who was now closer, gazed at the sword, noting its fine craftsmanship, the silver of it’s make almost glowing in the dark cave. She wondered if it would be better than the current Daedric weaponry that she carried with her.

She walked behind the two who were looking at the rest of the weaponry and asked, “May I see one of those blades?”

Thorin turned his head towards her voice and scowled when he realized who it was. Walking past her, sword in hand, he began to order the group out of the foul cave clearly still upset at her despite the actions from the night before.

“ _Ruth_ , even reiklings have better attitudes than him,” Refridís muttered at his disappearing form before facing the weapons rack, “You say that these are Elvish blades?”

Gandalf gave a small puff of amusement, catching that whatever she was comparing the regal dwarf to was obviously meant as an insult, before answering with a yes. Refridís gave a noncommittal hum before picking up a belt that had a pair of sister swords strapped to it and giving a small sound of surprise by how light they were. She unsheathed one and gave it a quick precise swing through the air, balancing it in her hand and wondering at the possible damage it would cause to an enemy.

“These swords are better than the ones I carry now, both lighter and stronger, but it would be such a shame to just leave Daedric weapons just laying here,” the wood elf commented.

“I’m sure that they will still be here when you make the return journey home. After all, it takes a rather strong stomach to go exploring through a troll hoard. We must go join the rest of the company as I fear to what they will do if left alone for too long. I leave for a few hours only to find a panicking elf traveling through the trees telling me that they were captured by mountain trolls,” Gandalf said, reminding her of the events of the pre-dawn hours.

“I wasn’t panicking,” Refridís mumbled as she walked past the grey wizard, taking off her current weapons belt and securing the new one to her waist, “I was rightly worried about their safety. If you recall, they were rather close to becoming their next meal.”

Gandalf made an amused sound before following the Bosmer and stopped when he stepped on something metallic hidden under some leaves. He removed the rotting vegetation and found a much smaller blade, one that would be perfect for a certain hobbit.

* * *

 

Refridís removed her face piece and took in a deep breath of fresh air as she exited the troll cave, trying to get rid of the odor that lingered in her lungs. She looked down at the blades that she now carried and looked back to where she had left her other blades. It felt wrong to leave behind something that had originated in Skyrim and for some reason she couldn’t shake the feeling that she would never see the weapons again. Gandalf’s comment about her return trip out of Middle-Earth seemed strange, like he was thinking too far ahead.

As she came to terms with her immortality, she learned to simply live a few days at a time or risk falling into a terrible depression at the fact that many of the people and creatures she knew would be dead in a few decades. In all honesty, she wasn’t even thinking about what she would do once she reached the foot of the Lonely Mountain. Sure, she had a general gist; go in with Bilbo, slay the dragon (or dragons if needed), and collect her reward. She didn’t have any set plans afterwards, though she knew that returning to Skyrim would happen eventually.

_“Perhaps I will stay in Middle-Earth for a while,”_ Refridís thought, _“there must be plenty of new sights and adventures to be had here and I’m sure I will be able to bring some good stories to those back home. Not to mention the word walls that could be scattered throughout the continent and possible hiding dragons. ”_

She was brought out of her musing when Gandalf went to hand her hobbit friend an exceptionally small sword, to the point where she thought that it was more likely to be a dagger rather than a true sword.

“Bilbo,” the grey wizard said, grabbing the attention of the hobbit who seemed to be daydreaming.

The Halfling gave a sound of recognition, coming out of whatever daze he had been in.

“Here,” Gandalf said, giving the sword to Bilbo, “This is about your size.”

Bilbo looked at the sword in his hand with confusion before shaking his head and responding, “I can’t take this.”

“The blade is of Elvish make, which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby,” the wizard explained.

Refridís gave him a strange look as she had never heard of such an enchantment on a blade before looking at hers, trying to sense any weak magical energies that they might have only to come up empty.

“I have never used a sword in my life!” the hobbit exclaimed, clearly starting to see that there was no way to convince the wizard to take back the sword.

Gandalf looked at him before giving him some wise advice, “And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.”

Refridis felt the words echo through her before bitterly thinking, _“A lesson everyone should be taught when given a weapon. If only someone had told me that when I was first starting out then perhaps the lives of many could have been spared.”_

“Though we both hope that the sword will stay in it’s sheath during battle,” the Bosmer started, “It is better that you learn how to use it efficiently so that you do not accidently hurt yourself or others. I can train you on how the basics, and advanced if I see promise. I am more than certain that others in the company would be willing to help as well.”

Bilbo was about to argue back when something crashed heavily in the forest causing birds to give out their alarm calls.

“Something’s coming!” Thorin yelled and the dwarves began to run towards the noise, hoping to catch whatever it was before it caught them.

“Gandalf! Refridís I-“ Bilbo started, but Refridís had already disappeared in the brush, following the trail left by the footfalls of the dwarves.

“Stay together!” Gandalf called out; going after the troop, “Hurry now. Arm yourselves!”

Bilbo gave a frustrated sigh before slowly drawing the short sword and giving it a once-over. Though he had little knowledge of the weapons of war outside of his storybooks, even he could appreciate the quality of the blade. There was a loud shout that reminded the hobbit that he was on his own and quickly followed the disappearing group into the woods.

* * *

 

When Gandalf had mentioned that his wizard friend was a bit eccentric, Refridís certainly wasn’t expecting a disheveled-looking man with bird droppings in his hair to ride in on a sled drawn by rabbits yelling at the top of his lungs about thieves, fire and murder.

_‘Huh, sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke,’_ She laughed to herself, looking around at her companions, trying to see if this was a regular occurrence but saw that they were just as confused as she was. Even the grey wizard himself looked rather befuddled at his fellow colleagues appearance.

“Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah, what on earth are you doing here?” Gandalf asked, sheathing his new blade now that he knew that there was no danger.

“I was looking for you, Gandalf!” Radagast cried out, “Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly wrong!”

Gandalf gave the wizard a look before saying, “Yes?”

Radagast opened his mouth to speak only to shut it as if he had forgotten what he was going to say. He quickly regained his train of thought opening his mouth but closed it in frustration.

“Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I’ve lost it! It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue!” he said, curling up his tongue before giving a surprised look, “Oh, it’s not a thought at all! It’s a silly old-”

Gandalf reached into his friend’s mouth before pulling out a very distressed insect that was waving his legs around.

“-stick insect!” the brown wizard finished, gently taking the bug from Gandalf’s hand.

The dwarves and Bilbo looked on in disgust at what they had just witnessed and Refridís screwed her face up unpleasantly. Sure, she had to eat some insects in order to figure out their magical properties or when she was very desperate for food but there was no doubt that while this wizard certainly was one with nature, he must have some secret supply of moon sugar or powdered glow mushrooms stashed somewhere.

“Perhaps it would be wise for us to talk in private my friend,” Gandalf said, leading the wizard away from the group and giving Refridís a look that said to watch the dwarves.

Refridís was desperately curious about what they would talk about but they had wandered a little bit too far for even her ears to pick up. She gave a small sigh of frustration before sitting on a moss covered stone while the group split up to talk amongst each other.

Bilbo sat next to her in a slightly awkward silence before clearing his throat. Refridís looked down on him with an eyebrow raised, questioning if he needed something.

“Do… do you honestly believe that I can use this blade?” the hobbit asked, bringing the weapon to his knees.

“It’s not a question if you can, any creature with arms and a brain can hold a sharpened tool but rather it is if you want to and how well. I suspect that with the right training, even you can become a master of the blade,” the wood elf answered with a smile.

“You should do that more often,” the hobbit answered shyly.

“Do what?”

“Smile. It makes you seem a lot nicer and friendlier,” Bilbo said looking down at the small sword in his lap.

Refridís gave a dark chuckle, “When you live as long as I have Master Baggins, it becomes harder to find things to be joyful about. There is so much darkness in this world that sometimes it seems useless to fight against it and you just want to lie down and give up,” the halfling gave her a worried look before she continued strongly, “but, it is for folks like you that I continue my quest to eliminate that darkness. The sacrifice of one so that others do not have to suffer that same fate and pain.”

“You do not have to do it alone though,” a new voice said behind them making them both turn around to see the two Durin brothers listening in on their conversation, “you have us to help.”

Refridís gave them a mocking-hard look before in a joking tune saying, “Don’t you know it is rude to eavesdrop?”

Kíli gave her a questioning look; clearly wanting some answers while Fíli gave a shrug and said, “Never stopped us before.”

“They are taking an awful long time, I wonder what they are talking about?” Bilbo said while looking for the two wizards in the forest.

_“Yes, what can they be discussing that is of such high importance?”_ the Bosmer asked herself.

* * *

 

Radagast had just finished telling Gandalf of what had happened to him in the ancient fortress of Dol Guldur and was handing him a cloth-wrapped package that seemed to exude an evil aura. Gandalf gave a quick peak at its contents and gave the brown wizard a look of shock and concern.

“That is not from the world of the living,” Radagast said to him in a low tone before looking over his shoulder towards the wood elf that was talking to the hobbit and two of the dwarfs, “Gandalf, who is that woman you travel with?”

“Hm? That is Refridís Silduaan of Skyrim, a wood elf and a powerful wizard from across the sea whom I have asked to journey with us due to her rather… specialized set of skills. Some of the dwarves don’t like her much, Thorin much less due to her heritage, but she has been of help so far despite their attitude towards her.”

Radagast squinted in her direction before turning around and saying, “A vicious power lies within her, dangerous and waiting. It is unlike anything I have ever seen in these lands. I would advise caution. Something does not sit right with me about her.”

Gandalf gave him a curious look and was about to ask what exactly he meant by the statement as he had not sensed anything evil within the elf when a low, guttural howl was heard from nearby causing both wizards to turn towards the company of dwarves.

* * *

 

Refridís removed her bow from its resting position and nocked an arrow, small sparks arcing off its tip. She had known that it would not be the last of the strange wolf on the cliff from a couple nights before but it was unexpected for it to attack so soon and with such a large number of people as they usually happened when one was alone.

“Was that a wolf? Are there- are there wolves out there?” Bilbo asked, his voice shaking slightly and looking around slightly panicked.

“Wolves?” Bofur responded, clutching his mattock closely to his chest, eyes darting in every which direction trying to find the source of the growl, “No, that is not a wolf.”

Refridís gave him a questioning look before a loud snap and a snarl caused her to whip around to see a creature that looked like the spawn of a sabercat and a wolf jump towards them. She took careful aim, using the precious moments that the creature was in the air before shooting a daedric arrow that went through the thing’s throat causing it to collapse on the dwarf that it was planning to attack, becoming paralyzed as electricity course through its body. Upon its less than graceful landing in front of them, Thorin finished it off with a swing of his new blade to the head. Another appeared from behind him, running quickly to bite the dwarven leader but Kíli shot an arrow into it’s shoulder making it stumble right into the path of Dwalin’s hammer which crushed its skull with a powerful strike.

Refridís finally got the name of the creature when Thorin announced, while removing his sword from the one he killed, “Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind.”

The wood elf had her thoughts voiced when Bilbo asked nervously “Orc pack?”

“Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?” Gandalf asked angrily.

Thorin gave a confused glance at the wizard before responding, “No one.”

“WHO DID YOU TELL?” the wizard asked more forcefully.

“No one, I swear!” the dwarf answered back, “What in Durin’s name is going on?!”

To the dismay of everyone, Gandalf replied, “You are being hunted.”

Refridís gave a small groan, had there only been one or two more she could have helped to easily take them out but an entire pack of them was likely to be a nightmare. They did not seem very difficult to kill or stumble, the skin soft enough for her arrow to get stuck halfway in and their bones unable to take a good hard smash but they would definitely harder than a sabercat. Add into the mix some blood-thirsty orcs and it made the situation even more chaotic.

“We have to get out of here,” Dwalin said, checking over his shoulder in case anything else tried to ambush them.

Ori came out of the bushes with two other dwarves and cried out, “We can’t! We have no ponies; they bolted!”

_“Divines be damned! Now we have to face them,”_ Refridís thought, her face turning into an angry scowl as she raised her face piece and her hood.

Surprising her and some others in the company, Radagast piped up, “I’ll draw them off.”

“These are Gundabad Wargs;” Gandalf said, turning to his fellow wizard with worry, “They will outrun you!”

Radagast gave him a toothy grin, a sparkle of mischief appearing in his eye, before pointing to his sled, “These are Rhosgobel Rabbits! I’d like to see them try…”

“Fine, but do not take unnecessary risks!” Gandalf replied before turning towards the rest of the company, “The rest of you, follow me. We must get in position to run to the other side.”

_“Other side?”_ Refridís questioned as she followed the grey wizard. She suddenly understood why the pack was attacking such a big group when she saw a large open landscape dotted with huge boulders that provided little cover, perfect for hunting them down.

Gandalf urged them all to hide behind a particularly large rock as the howls of the wargs echoed throughout the valley and nearby forest. Refridís nervously gripped her bow, not putting it away in case the plan didn’t work and knowing that using her new swords without a getting comfortable with them first would be more trouble than it was worth. She spotted several large wargs with strangely armored orcs riding upon them sniffing through the woods they had just been hiding in. The armor seemed of rather poor quality, completely different from Orsimer-forged creations, which gave her a bit of hope for a fighting chance if Radagast should fail. Speaking of Radagast, the rather strangely endearing wizard had just bursted out of the forest on his rabbit-pulled sled with a shout and mocking laughter.

“Come and get me! Ha ha!” He yelled behind him as the orcs began to give chase.

Gandalf motioned for them to start running across the rocky plain, “Come on!”

As they moved quickly between rocky outcroppings and boulders, Refridís made sure to stay near the back of the group so that if some one were to fall behind, she could help them. She looked away from the group to watch as an orc attempted to hit Radagast only to crash and be crushed by his own ride. The wood elf stopped suddenly with the company when the wargs ran a little too close for comfort and they hid behind a nearby rock.

“Stay together.” Gandalf said loud enough so only they could hear.

Thorin ordered them to move once the wargs were far enough away. Radagast was leading them in circles so a pattern was easy to discern and the next time they came close, Thorin stopped before they could be seen but young Ori kept running.

“Ori, no! Come back!” Thorin said, grabbing the young dwarf by the back of his shirt and pulling him to safety just before he could be spotted by their hunters.

As the threat passed once again, Gandalf urged them to move. Refridís heard Thorin ask about where the wizard was leading them to but received no answer. They continued their run-and-hide technique for a while longer before they stopped beneath a large boulder to catch their breath. Refridís froze when she heard the scrabbling of claws on stone and a sword being unsheathed. She wasn’t the only one as Thorin motioned to Kíli to get rid of the orc and warg. Kíli readied his arrow, taking a deep breath before quickly stepping out and shooting the warg. She knew he had missed his mark when the warg made a terrible screeching sound that she was sure would echo for miles.

_“Ruth dilfahliil nis orin ediin qiilaan!”_ Refridís cursed in anger as she shot her own arrow into the shoulder of the orc who was about to blow in his horn, causing both him and his ride to fall near the rest of the dwarves. **{Damn dwarf can’t even shoot a bow!}**

They made quick but rather noisy work of killing them both and for a moment there was silence. Refridís prayed that maybe they were lucky and the fight wasn’t heard but that wish was quickly shattered when she heard a shout in a strange language and the howls of wargs approaching them.

Knowing that they were spotted, Gandalf yelled, “Move! RUN!”

They no longer tried to hide their presence and as they tried to make their escape Refridís knew that there was no way they would survive by just running. As much as it pained her to reveal her friend so soon, they needed help.

_“Odahviing bo nel! Zu'u los ko praag do hin frey!”_ she whispered in to the wind and praying to the Divines that he would arrive on time. **{Odahviing fly fast! I’m in need of your aid!}**

The wargs began to run them down and Gloín shouted that they were blocking the path they were running towards. Gandalf quickly redirected them and soon everyone reached a clearing from which they could see from all sides and came to a stop in front of a lichen-covered rock. It was then that they realized that they were surrounded.

“There’s more coming!” Kíli shouted, having been one of the last dwarves to arrive.

“Kíli! Refridís! Shoot them!” Thorin shouted.

Both archers quickly got to work, shooting down anything that got too close and it was only when Kíli shouted “Where is Gandalf?” that Refridís realized that the wizard had disappeared.

“He has abandoned us!” she heard Dwalin yell as she stepped back towards the rest of the dwarves, hand ready to sheath her bow and fight at close range.

“Hold your ground!” Thorin ordered as he readied his sword.

Gandalf had suddenly popped his head up from a crack in the rock and yelled at them, “This way, you fools!”

Thorin, who had been closest to the rock, alerted the others of the hiding place, “Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go, go!”

Refridís was standing next to Thorin as dwarves jumped in and shot an arrow at a warg who had come from behind them. Thorin quickly finished it off with a slash of his blade before giving her a nod of thanks.

She was surprised by the gesture as Thorin never had bothered to thank her before but her attention was pulled towards the company’s raven-haired archer when his uncle shouted, “Kíli! Run!”

Kíli shot one more arrow towards the closest warg, taking out it’s rider before making a run towards the crack. He was halfway there when his boot caught a rock and caused him to fall. Refridís felt as if time had slowed down and reached for an arrow from her quiver only to realize she was out. She spotted a red glint in the sky but it would be far too late before Odahviing would reach the scene. There was only one thing she could do.

She gave Thorin a hard shove as she ran towards the felled dwarf, causing him to fall in to the cave with the others. The wargs were quickly approaching Kíli who was desperately trying to crawl backwards towards the hidden crack, fear blanching his face. Refridís cried “GET DOWN!” to the dwarf before she jumped over his body and faced the wargs directly. She reached deep within her soul, stirring the creatures who had become one with her.

_“Yesssss….”_ They hissed, waking up, as her chest and throat began to grow hot, “ _releaseee ussss. Release our fury!”_

**_“YOL TOOR SHUL!”_** the Bosmer shouted, a massive inferno expelling from her mouth burning all those who stood in her path.

Kíli was shocked at what had happened in front of him and suddenly it clicked why Refridís had reacted so angrily when he questioned about the stone carving. The wargs and orcs had stopped their approached, stunned that nearly a quarter of their group had just been burned to a crisp by the female wood elf.

“Refridís?” said Kíli with a shaky voice, reaching a hand towards her.

His blood turned to ice when his friend turned around.

Her eyes were glowing, unrecognizing and serpentine as she let out a bestial snarl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that long chapter and the little cliffhanger that I left you with and again sorry for the lateness!  
> Please remember to review, comment, favorite, or follow as it is much appreciated and lets me know what I have to work on!


	11. Staavek Zeymahzin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hello everyone! Sorry for this chapter being late but I just got my first job so that has taken up my (already limited) spare time. Fear not however, as I usually get an hour and a half to two hours between classes that allow me to write though I usually use it do to coursework. In addition, my job is mostly in the research department so after I look up whatever is needed for the day I have free time to do whatever I want (it’s a pretty great gig actually). This is just so you all know that if a chapter isn’t posted within a week it’s because I’ve been busy with IRL issues.   
> Enough about my personal life! I would like to thank the reviewers: Lotheon, Basia Orci, Victor, PassiveResistance, Hefster, DecrepitSoul, Ny’Kle, and ShannonTheAwesomeOne! Also thanks to readers, favoriters, and followers and a warm welcome to all the new readers! On to the comment answers~
> 
>  
> 
> Question Time!
> 
> To Victor: Thanks for the comments! Let me just say in response to the majority of your comments that I have BIG plans for what will be happening in Rivendell (might actually take up an entire chapter or two if I plan it correctly and close possible plot holes). I will also say that the Necromancer does keep his canon origins and will not be a hyped-up dragon priest ;) (though that actually was a pretty good idea that I didn’t think of for a plot). And please don’t simplify your reviews! Your tidbits of information really help with my story writing and allow me to research specific things that I might need~
> 
> To PassiveResistance: The troll cave is not an entrance of a barrow but simply a place where the claw was kept for safekeeping (like how one or two claws are found in a separate cave from it’s assigned barrow and I have to check all of the surrounding caves to make sure I find the correct barrow because I’m too stubborn to look online). Though a more in-depth explanation will be put in the next chapter (or the one after it) about why Radagast was able to sense Refridís’ nature and not Gandalf, I will say that Gandalf would probably be less suspicious of Refridís’ massive reserves of magick and strange energy due to her being Archmage of a completely different continent where magick might operate differently than on ME. Thanks for your review and hope you enjoy the chapter~
> 
> To DecrepitSoul: Glad I was able to bring across that feeling of tension! Yep, I had to think like I didn’t know what was going to happen (something difficult to do when you know how it ends and trying to add some original twists to it). And yes, you have experience with my love of cliffhangers ;) The answer to the last part of your review is in this chapter so hope you like it!
> 
> To ShannonTheAwesomeOne: Aww your comments make me blush! I will say that I take some serious artistic liberties with the things that have to do with Thu’ums and their affect of on the Dovahkiin as it almost has nothing to do with the Dragonborn DLC other than the use of Miraak as an example since *DLC spoilers* he is the first Dovahkiin *end spoilers*. Thanks for your comment!
> 
> Before I begin with the story, I will say that the different energy types will be explained at the bottom of the chapter (you will see what I mean) along with some other things. Anyways, on with the story! Hope you all enjoy~
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridis belongs to me.

Kíli knew that he was in danger as Refridís took a step towards him, eyes hungry and all traces of the wood elf he knew was gone replaced by an unforgiving predator. He heard the yelling of the company as they attempted to scramble out of the cave to see what was happening to the young heir of Durin but the ground must have been too steep, as none of them had reached the mouth yet. It was by some stroke of luck or fate that one of the wargs decided to attack at that moment.

The beast broke from its formation, dashing towards Refridís, jumping over the smoldering bodies of both warg and orc. Refridís turned when she heard the heavy footfalls of the creature and lifted her arms to protect her head as the warg leapt forward and bit down hard, teeth puncturing through the light armor of both her right upper and lower arm causing blood to flow and stain the chest of the beast. Refridís let out a sound that sounded like a mangled cross between a scream of pain and a roar before forcefully uncrossing her arms sending the warg flying through the air and crashing into one of its standing companions.

A small sigh of relief escaped Kíli’s lips as her attention was diverted towards the circling orcs who made sure to keep a good distance between the enraged elf and themselves. He was concerned about the bite she had taken, knowing that wargs carried a myriad of infections within their teeth having heard about more than one dwarf dying from a bite after an orc attack, but his current situation warranted more fear for himself than for that of the Bosmer’s health.

The orcs grew weary of waiting for the first move, a command was given in Black Speech and all of them attacked at once. Refridís let out a snarl before shouting something in Dovahzul that caused the offenders to fly back as if they were pushed forcefully, many of them falling from their rides. The Bosmer took this moment of weakness to rush forwards and leap at the closest offending orc, both falling to the ground with a heavy thud, the orc on its back and Refridís crouching over him. She raised her hand into the air, Kíli spotting her now talon-like nails glinting in the sun, before bringing them down and scratching deep cuts into the offending creature’s face. The orc howled in pain as she repeated the actions several times before gurgling into silence as she ripped into its throat. She stood up, black blood dribbling off her armor as she stalked towards another orc, a low rumbling growl emanating from her and her gaze fixed on her prey.

Kíli felt dread pool in his stomach, knowing that as soon as she was done with the orcs she would turn to him. He got up to run towards the hidden cave but his attention, however, was brought to the sky as a massive shadow fell on the clearing. He gave a tremulous chuckle at the irony that he would ever be happy to see a red dragon.

* * *

 

Odahviing knew that something was very, very wrong when he saw a ball of fire erupt from the plains as he flew to assist Refridís and pumped his already strained wings harder.  He could see black shapes circling two creatures, one of them he presumed to be the Dovahkiin but even farther away he could see the silver shine of metal armor approaching quickly from the distance.

As he came in for a landing next to Kíli, Odahviing saw just how dire the situation was. Refridís had used a Thu’um and was unable to regain control or think rationally. She turned towards him as he landed, her previous targets forgotten as a much more powerful opponent showed himself, her red eyes glinting dangerously and sending a small shiver down the dragon’s spine as he was reminded of the eyes of his previous commander. She let out a flaming shout of challenge at the new enemy but was taken off guard when the great Dovah leaped over her, avoiding the scorching hot fires that seared the earth and using his tail to sweep away any orcs that might have gotten in his underfoot before using one clawed paw to pin her down before she could react.

She let out an enraged shriek as she struggled under his claws, yelling all sorts of colorful terms and promising a very painful death in dragontongue. She shouted her flame breath directly to his throat causing him extreme pain and discomfort but he held onto her knowing that if she were to get free, there would be no chance to take her by surprise again.

 ** _“Dilfahliil,”_** Odahviing rumbled as he tightened his grip around the wood elf causing a heightened attempt of escape and spreading his wings for take off, **_“Join your companions as I have seen attackers riding from the east to rid of these miserable creatures.”_**

“What about Refridís?! What is wrong with her?!” Kíli asked desperately, worried for the health of his companion now that she was no longer a threat to him.

 ** _“She will return to the company when she is ready. Do not tell the others of what has happened.”_** The great red Dovah replied as he took off into the sky, dust and dirt swirling from the force and temporarily obscuring vision in the surrounding area.

Kíli was about to yell at the dragon, wanting answers when he heard a loud war horn being blown. He quickly ran the remaining distance, using the dust for cover and slid into the cave where his companions exclaimed worriedly at the burnt edges of his clothes. The conflict just outside of the crack silenced them as the sounds of pounding hooves echoed through the cave along with the screeches of dying orcs. The body of an orc slid down from the cave entrance and stopped unmoving at their feet. Thorin rolled it over with his boot and was met with the gruesome sight, charred skin that stunk of rotting flesh and a broken arrow shaft sticking out of its neck. He pulled the arrow out forcefully causing the creature’s black blood to begin pooling around its head and inspected it.

“Elves,” Thorin spat as he threw the shaft to the ground, giving Gandalf a glare and opening his mouth to argue with him.

Dwalin cut him off by looking around the corner and announcing, “I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?”

“Follow it of course!” Bofur yelled back.

The dwarves started towards the path before Thorin said, “Wait.”

They turned towards their leader whose eyes were looking at Kíli, still gasping and trying to get his breath back.

“What happened out there? Where is the elf?” Thorin asked, his stare boring holes into the young dwarf.

 _“What do I say?! I don’t even know the entirety of what happened out there!”_ Kíli desperately thought, wondering if he should tell Thorin about Odahviing and Refridís’ behavior, _“No… I made a promise and I intend to keep it. Next time we meet, I WILL get answers.”_

“She… she protected me from the wargs by letting out some massive fire spell that nearly hit all of our attackers. She then took up arms, helped me up and we fought the remaining orcs. We were distracted by the horns when a warg jumped on her and bit her arm making her drop her sword. She told me to run and that she would take care of them. She used spells to keep the orcs from attacking me as I ran while she tried to release herself from the beast’s jaws. The last thing I saw before I jumped into the cave was the warg dragging her away.” Kíli responded in a trembling voice, hoping that the lie was believable and that Refridís would create a similar story.

Thorin stared at him for a few moments, searching for signs of dishonesty before turning towards the path, “Lets go. It seems as if we have lost our dragonslayer.”

Bilbo piped up angrily, “What? You are just going to let her go just like that?!”

“If she was taken by the orcs there is no way she will return alive and if she did, she would be in no shape to continue with the quest. We move forward.” Thorin said sharply at the hobbit, not bothering to look at him.

“What if she was a dwarf of this company? Would you-“

“But she is not!” Thorin snapped turning quickly to face Bilbo, “I will not sacrifice this quest because some elf couldn’t defend themselves. We. Move. Forward.”

“Her name is Refridís and she’s helped this company more than once. At least give her the decency of calling her by her name!” Bilbo shouted back in a rare moment of courage, before remembering himself and looking at his feet, “Please… She was my friend.”

Thorin’s eyes softened slightly at Bilbo’s comment before shaking his head and walking towards the beginning of the path, “Refridís is gone.”

Members of the company began to move towards the tunnels that would hopefully lead them to safety, some of them talking amongst each other about the strange wood elf that had made tentative attempts at friendship with some of them, their voices swirling with sorrow at the heroic but unnecessary loss of life. Bilbo waited near the back, hands gripped tightly with anger when Kíli walked up beside him.

“Don’t worry about Refridís, Master Baggins. I have a feeling we will see her again soon enough,” Kíli said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Bilbo looked at him confused, “Why do you say that?”

A strange expression crossed the dwarf’s face before he responded, “Just a feeling…”

* * *

 

_ ~all speech in the following scene is Dovahzul unless specified. For story’s sake (and my sanity) it will be written in English~ _

* * *

 

 _“HOW DARE HE HOLD US LIKE SOME MERE HATCHLING! RELEASE US! RELEASE US!”_ Refridís shrieked as Odahviing flew away from the field, gaining altitude quickly so that the riders would not spot him.

 ** _“Enough_** ** _Dovahkiin! Regain control of yourself!”_** Odahviing growled as he dodged another flame breath that barely missed his head as it fizzled uselessly in the air behind him. **_“You risk losing yourself in this madness!”_**

The Bosmer gave him another angry snarl and used her sharpened nails to attempt clawing off the Dovah’s scaled covered toes. Odahviing was quickly loosing his patience with the elf and let her go. She gave a short scream of surprise at her sudden descent and was caught again, facing away from the dragon’s breast so that any shouts would be directed towards the earth rather than him.

**_“Push through the others who cloud you mind and soul. Restrain them!”_ **

_“She cannot restrain us! We are free and she cannot come forward! We will be released from this weak form and become the mighty Dovah once more!”_ She, or rather those who currently occupied her body, screamed.

Odahviing found the enclosed canyon he was hiding in when Refridís called him and quickly deposited her at the bottom before landing at the top. She would be unable to climb out without his help as the walls had become steep, carved by erosion and rain, making it a perfect place to contain her until she came to her senses.

Her black hair swung wildly, her hood having fallen long ago, as she looked around for an escape. Her eyes focused on the red dragon looking down at her, “ _You cannot keep us here forever!”_

 ** _“That is not my intention,”_** Odahviing rumbled, _“ **Mal ilit, I know that you can hear me as we have gone through this before. Do not let them take over your spirit. Push them away and seal them. You are strong enough to overcome this.”**_

The wood elf was about to give him a roar of rage before it was cut off by a strangled choking noise. Her body shuddered and collapsed, staining the smooth white rock with blood that still leaked from the holes in her armor.

Refridís gripped her head in pain before whimpering, “Stop. Please.”

Odahviing climbed down slowly, placing his feet carefully so that he would not slide down the edge, **_“That’s it. They cannot control you if you don’t let them.”_**

* * *

 

In her mind, the dragons whose souls the wood elf had absorbed writhed and clawed at the cage her own soul had created to contain them. Some of them had managed to sever their bonds during her moment of weakness and were trying to help the others break their own, using their own souls and magick as energy. Sweat rolled down Refridís’ face as she gave a war cry before jumping on the back of an elder dragon and stabbing it through the head with a ghostly blade she had conjured. The creature screeched in pain before turning into soul energy and being once more bound back to her soul. She had been at this ever since she used the Thu’um and she was close to passing out having dispatched seven other dragons.

 _“I just hope K_ _í_ _li is okay and that I didn’t kill him,”_ Refridís thought, growling, _“Damn the Dov to the pits of Oblivion! Should they never have existed I wouldn’t be in this situation!”_

The remaining two Dovah, twin frost dragons turned towards their host and let out freezing blasts of ice that caused the floor beneath her feet to become slippery. She conjured a flame cloak to melt the ice around her feet and began running towards the offending parties. She slid under one of the dragons, slashing at its hamstring causing it to collapse with a scream. She jumped over its tail only to be knocked on the floor by the other dragon, her blade slipping from her grasp and disappearing out of existence.

She hit the ice hard and let out a scream as pain radiated from her arm telling her it was probably broken. She had no time to recover as the hamstrung dragon let out another icy breath, causing her to get up and move or else risk being impaled by icy spikes. Refridís knew that her magick reserves were running low when she could not summon a flame atronach to help with the battle so instead she conjured another bound sword.

The standing dragon gave a mocking laugh, **_“You are so weak right now, a good blow and you are gone. We are so close to freedom!”_**

“I will NEVER LET YOU FREE!” the Bosmer screamed and ran forward, burying the blade into the ghostly dragon’s chest and letting it go as she fell with exhaustion.

The dragon gave a roar before disintegrating into energy and being absorbed into her soul. The wood elf gave a tired sigh before getting up and turning to finish off the other dragon. A sound of shock escaped her lips when she did not see it where it had been crippled and she became hyperaware of her surroundings, trying to find where it had gone.

She let out a blood-curdling scream when she felt claws rake down her back and fell to her knees. The remaining dragon rumbled in glee landing before walking in front of her, dragging its back leg and leaving a bloody trail.

 ** _“The mighty Dovahkiin, unable to kill even a crippled dragon. To think you killed me at the height of my strength and you were first discovering the extent of your power. Embarrassing really but there are stronger dragons who died in more pathetic ways,”_** the frost dragon said as at flicked its paw at her form causing her to fall onto her bleeding back, **_“Oh, I am going to enjoy this…”_**

The cold did nothing to sooth her injury as small slivers of ice pricked the damaged flesh. It was further aggravated when the dragon placed a heavy paw on her form, her head in between its outstretched claws.

“Stop. Please,” She whimpered in pain as the pressure increased, her hands trying uselessly to push the paw off.

 _“ **Now why would I do that?”**_ the Dovah purred, soaking in his victory over the enemy of all dragons.

“Because then I would have to do this,” Refridís said, a ferocious smile lighting up her face.

The frost dragon made a noise of confusion before it screeched in pain as a beam of soul energy wrapped around its neck, dragging it towards the soul cage and off the wood elf. Refridís gave a heaving breath at the sudden release of pressure before standing up shakily and coughing. She trudged after the struggling dragon concentrating hard on keeping the flow of energy around its neck tangible.

“Your mistake,” she said tiredly as she conjured another blade into her uninjured hand with what little remained from her magika reserve, “was not killing me when you had the chance.”

She brought the sword down with such force on the dragon’s neck that she decapitated it. As it dissolved into energy and was absorbed, Refridís collapsed, her stamina and magicka drained.

Her vision was already turning dark when a voice like oil reverberated through the air, **_“Well done, Dovahkiin…”_**

Before she was completely removed from her unconsciousness, she swore she saw blood-red eyes watching her from the dark recesses of her mind.

* * *

 

Odahviing was standing in front of her when she regained control of her own body, heaving upwards before gasping in pain and collapsing once again.

 ** _“It is all right mal ilit, you are safe,”_** The dragon said, a calming rumble reverberating through the open space as the elf looked at her surroundings with a panicked expression.

“Kíli …” she rasped in common tongue, her throat sore from the rough language of the dragons, “did… did he survive?”

 ** _“Yes, he is with his companions,”_** Odahviing reassured her

“Good… good,” Refridís responded as she attempted to get up slowly, hissing as her physical wounds stung heavily.

She inspected her armor, seeing that the gauntlets were heavily damaged and that her entire attire was covered in red and black blood. Carefully and slowly she removed the black leather and metal that protected her body, wincing whenever it would brush up against a wound and she was soon left with just her breastband and pants. The bite she received from the warg was deep as blood had soaked the entire sleeve of her undershirt. She attempted to use a restoration spell only to receive a sharp stabbing pain in her head, a sign that she had no magicka reserve left. She reached for her potions bag only to realize with a frustrated groan that it was left with the ponies that morning. All she had on her was her weapons, whatever was stored in her armor, and the small enchanted bag capable of fitting anything within it where she stored her most valued objects, unwilling to leave them anywhere but on her person.

 ** _“You were trapped for quite a while this time around,”_** Odahviing said in a questioning tone as he laid down around her, his head next to hers and gently licking the wounded arm.

Refridís gave a pained whimper at the action as it felt like she had just submerged her arm in boiling water but allowed it since there was no other way to clean the bite. She relaxed into the Dovah’s side and explained, “They are getting stronger and more numerous each time. I am unsure if I will be able to regain control if they continue to grow in strength at the rate they are. I used up all my magicka this time in order to survive and it will take me a while to recover it naturally. ”

Odahviing made a startled hiss and Refridís turned to check what was wrong. She felt her blood freeze as she observed the black scales that had spread from the back of her shoulder blades to the top of her shoulders.

“Damn it. _RUTH NII_!” Refridís yelled as she leaned back into Odahviing’s side, pounding her good fist into the earth in fustration. She had managed not to use the shouts in so long she partially hoped that the scales would have stopped spreading. The more draconic features her body gained, the less in control she felt of her thoughts and emotions, venomous ideas sneaking their way into her conscious that she had to physically concentrate in order not to carry out. It also seemed that the scales was spreading faster and farther with each Thu’um she used. **_{Damn it}_**

 ** _“What matters is that you did not loose yourself,”_** The red Dovah said shifting his neck in front of her so that she could access the packs attached to the saddle on his neck from her sitting position.

Refridís slowly rummaged through one of them, pulling out white strips of cloth to use as bandages and a very small emergency health potion, before gently patting Odahviing’s neck making him move to give her some space. Wiping her eyes with her uninjured arm and taking a shaky breath, she pulled out her apothecary satchel from the pocket of her discarded armor. She pulled out a small mortar and pestle from it and added dried blue mountain flowers, a small vial of crushed charred skeever hide and powdered bear claws. Uncorking the health potion with her teeth, she poured a small amount into the mixture to make a salve and gently rubbed it on the angry red bite before wrapping it the best she could with one arm. Refridís sighed as the pain was significantly lessened but she knew that the injury would have to be looked at by a healer to insure that no infections would develop. Her Bosmer heritage may have helped her from contracting diseases but even she got Rockjoint and Bone Break Fever from Skyrim’s wolves a few times. Who knew what the wargs could have been carrying.

“What am I going to do _dii fahdon_? I don’t know how long I will be able to continue this fight. I just… I just want to rest. Is that so much to ask?” Refridís mumbled as she finished, looking up into the slightly cloudy blue sky.

The red dragon was silent for a moment before following her gaze, **_“We will continue doing what we have been doing. Continue fighting so others do not have to. Perhaps in the end we will find our peace.”_**

The two were quiet for the better part of an hour, a comfortable silence enveloping them as they watched the clouds pass as Refridís breathed slowly regaining some of her stamina. After some time and with a small noise of discomfort, she stood up using Odahviing for support.

“I think it would be a good idea to return to the company. Who knows where that path led them to and what I am going to have to explain,” The wood elf said as she picked up an extra bandage and wrapped it around her shoulder, hiding the scales and looking at the small spots of blood that leaked through the cloth-covered bite.

She picked up the Nightingale armor and thumbed the broken and bloodstained leather with a sad look, “What a pity. It’s going to take forever to get this properly repaired and cleaned…”

 _“ **I suggest you wear it anyways. You were last seen with it on and I believe that the dilfahliil K**_ ** _í_** ** _li would be able to construct a story regarding your disappearance,”_** Odahviing rumbled as he got up as well.

Refridís gave him a sharp look of surprise, “You told him not to tell the others? You believe he will keep his promise to us despite what he saw?”

 ** _“You do not trust easily mal ilit, this is your nature, but I believe you made the right choice in trusting him,”_** The Dovah said nodding.

Refridís gave a hum and looked back at the damaged armor. With a sigh she began to put it on, feeling disgusted when she slid on the chest piece that smelled of blood and sweat. Leaving her hood and face piece down, she carefully mounted the saddle she had placed on the dragon’s neck and shifted until she was in a comfortable position that would not jar her too much during flight.

“Lets go, hopefully we will be able to catch up.”

* * *

 

The short journey was relatively quiet except for the gentle flaps of wings as they sped across the sky and they soon arrived to the rocky plain as the sun began its descent across the sky. Refridís spotted the crack where the company had escaped and pointed it out Odahviing landed in the clearing close by. The Bosmer slid off the saddle and looked around, observing as carrion birds picked at the dead bodies of orcs and wargs. She saw that some of them were unrecognizably burned and looked away shamefully.

“I think it would be best for you to continue hiding for now. I will tell you when I reach the end of the tunnel so that you can know the area of where I am,” Refridís said as she searched the hole in the earth, seeing impressions of large boot prints in the dusty cave below.

 ** _“I agree with you. Watch yourself mal ilit and call for me should you need assistance. I only wish I could have been closer for the events that transpired today,”_** Odahviing said as he flapped his wings, taking off.

“Do not blame yourself, _lok zeymah_. It could not have been avoided if I wanted to save Kíli’s life. Take care and may we see each other again soon,” she bid the Dovah farewell as she slid into the cave, watching him fly away to parts unknown _. **{Sky brother}**_

She moved around the dead orc that was lying in a pool of its own coagulated blood, smelling of burnt flesh and proceeded to travel through the narrow pass. It was only a few minutes of walking that she realized the further she followed it, the more of a feeling of peace enveloped her. She made a quick check for magic only to find that it surrounded the entire path and was growing stronger, almost sufficatingly so the closer she got to whatever the source was.

The sun was just about to fall behind the mountains, coloring the skies with fiery wonder when she reached the exit and the sight that was laid out before her made her breathless. Nestled among waterfalls and forest, was a glorious town that shined and reflected the dying rays of light. Small lanterns were lit among the halls and she could see people walking and talking to each other. It was as if all the evils of the world had forgotten this little spot of paradise.

A feeling of utter exhaustion took over her, the previous night of no sleep and the battle during the day finally taking their toll. She decided that she would find refuge in the peaceful town for the night and continue her search in the morning, having no doubts that someone would have spotted the dwarven company as they passed by. With that decision in mind, she began her descent of the stone path down to the entrance.

* * *

 

The dwarves had just been served their “dinner” which they looked at with disdain. While some tried to be respectful towards their hosts choice of food and eat it, others simply pushed it out of the way looking for something that was more their taste.

Dori leaned over to his younger brother who was holding a leaf of lettuce and whispered, “Try it. Just a mouthful.”

“I don’t like green food,” Ori said sadly as he put it down before asking, “Have they got any chips?”

Dwalin picked up a handful of leaves questioning where the meat was while Óin picked up an onion with his knife and looked at it in disgust.

Kíli was not paying much attention to what was around him and was instead observing a female harp player who was gazing back through her harp strings, soft music floating as she plucked them. Her hair was a deep ebony but her eyes did not match the color of a certain wood-elf that he was thinking of.  Still, she was quite attractive, despite her heritage, so he gave her a smiling wink before turning towards his meal and noticing Dwalin giving him a stern stare.

Realizing that he had been caught, he quickly tried to cover it up, “Can’t say I fancy Elf maids myself. Too thin. They’re all high cheekbones and creamy skin; not enough facial hair for me. Although…” He paused as another elf walked behind him, “That one there’s not bad.”

Dwalin glanced up slightly at the elf and then back at Kíli before saying, “That’s not an elf maid.”

Kíli looked confused and looked at the elf as they turned around and quickly realized that, yes, that particular elf was not a maid. He felt his cheeks burn as Dwalin winked at him and the other dwarves burst out laughing at the young Durin’s mistake. It wasn’t his fault that all these bloody elves looked the same!

He looked down at his plate and let his thoughts wander once again to another elf that did not look at all like the ones around them, one who currently wasn’t with the company,

 _“Whatever is wrong with her, I hope Refrid_ _í_ _s is alright. Odahviing said she would return to us but when I wonder? I need answers… I’m sure she would appreciate the company of others of her own kind,”_ He thought bitterly, surprising himself with the ferocity behind the idea, _“Am I…? No, I am not jealous of some elves simply because they share heritage with my friend. Friend? When did she become my friend? Probably when I decided to lie to Thorin in order to keep her secrets under wraps. Besides, Refrid_ _í_ _s looks nothing like these elves. They have pale skin, almost sickly, while hers is like bronze, her eyes like rubies and unlike the dull browns and blues of this group…”_

Kíli stopped his train of thought, wondering why he was thinking so heavily about his missing companion physical attributes. He was distracted, however, when an elven guard rushed up the stairs to where Gandalf, Elrond, and Thorin were eating.

 _“My lord Elrond!”_ The guard spoke in Sindarin to his superior, _“an injured traveler approaches Rivendell saying that she faced the orcs you hunted this afternoon. She calls herself Refrid_ _í_ _s Silduaan of Skyrim.”_

All conversation stopped as the dwarves immediately began to listen, having understood the name that the guard said as there was no need for translation.                 

Elrond gave a worried expression and stood up, excusing himself from the gathering as he walked away quickly with the guard, _“Bring her to the healing rooms. How badly is she injured?”_

Gandalf stood up to follow the elvish lord but turned towards Thorin and said loud enough for all to hear, “Looks like our dragonslayer has returned to us.”

The dwarven king gave a small scowl at the wizards back as he left while the rest of the company cheered for their member’s return. Bilbo was smiling broadly and turned towards Kíli to say something but saw that the dwarf had a very distressed look on his face.

 _“I wonder why?”_ the hobbit thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first real try at writing a battle scene so hopefully it didn’t come out as confusing as it could have been. 
> 
> As you read there was soul energy and magicka energy during the battle so here’s just a quick run down of what I am thinking so far. When the Dragonborn, or anyone who has practiced the way of the voice, uses a Thu’um it consumes a different kind of much more powerful energy than magicka. Mastering the use soul energy is incredibly difficult and takes years of practice as it is impossible to truly control (think of a power similar to that of a small sun) so instead one learns to redirect it for use (in the case of shouts, outwards for attacks). Once a mortal uses soul energy, it cannot be replenished through natural means but instead it has to be drawn out of others by force or taken from the natural current of magicka running through Tamriel by meditation (e.i. the Greybeards). If they do not replenish the soul energy and continue using Thu’ums, they will slowly loose their humanity and become cruel shells of themselves or die.  
> Dragons have very vast limits as they are born with massive souls (part of the reason why I headcanon that no one has captured a dragon soul in a soul gem) and are able to naturally recover the energy, slowly, due to being created by Akatosh. The Dovahkiin is also capable of regenerating this energy as they absorb dragon souls and are also ‘blessed’ by Akatosh to be one of his children. They are born with an innate sense of how to use this energy for their own uses so it is easier for them to manipulate than one who has to learn the skill. Soul energy can be used as an incredibly powerful replacement for magicka energy but using it is very risky and should only be for an “in case of an emergency” situation as a mistake in redirection could result in some catastrophic consequences.
> 
> Anyways, hope that little blurb wasn’t too much to take in but I do believe it had to be explained for story purposes as it may become important in the future as I develop the idea some more *hint hint*. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to your reviews, comments, and questions!


	12. Ofan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Let me just begin by saying that this chapter killed me writing it because I was stuck on one particular part and any way I wrote it didn’t want to fit into the rest of the story. Between college, work, studying for midterms (which I should be doing right now instead of finishing this), and having a bit of free time to myself it has been pretty difficult since I’m not use to it but I’ve been managing. Special thanks to reviewers: Basia Orci, Victor, Ny’Kle, and SparksofBravery! Also thanks to those who have followed and favorited~ Onto the questions and responses! 
> 
> Question Time!
> 
> To Victor: Thanks for your reviews and questions. I will leave you the answer of just wait and see ;)  
> To Ny’Kle: I’m glad you liked the mental battle, I was a bit worried that it was cheesy but I guess not! Thank you for your review!  
> To SparksofBravery: Thank you so much for that compliment! I am blushing in my room reading over it. I’m glad you like my Dragonborn OC as I have put a lot of thought into her (not to mention many hours of in game play). I saw that lots of Skyrim stories and crossovers don’t include Odahviing and it makes me sad because I like the dragon and his snark. I love long reviews so I do not mind yours :) 
> 
> Alrighty then, I won’t hold you back anymore. Hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

As Refridís slowly approached the beautifully carved gateway into the town, she became very aware that this was not a place of men. Besides the large statutes that watched over the bridge, armored guards spoke to each other. As the Bosmer got closer one of them moved from his post towards her, his features similar to those of the Altmer and her hand twitched towards one of her swords, her previous experiences with the High Elves making her extremely cautious. He asked her a question in a language she couldn’t quite understand.

“I’m sorry, I cannot understand what you are saying,” Refridís answered politely when he finished with a questioning tone.

“You do not speak Sindarin?” the guard asked.

Refridís gave him a deadpan look before replying, “Obviously not if I just told you that I could not understand you.”

The guard brushed off the comment before repeating in common tongue, “I asked who you are and what is your business in Rivendell?”

The Bosmer shifted uncomfortably, knowing that the dwarven quest was supposed to be kept secret and not knowing enough about the landscape to come up with a credible excuse but answered anyways, “My name is Refridís Silduaan of Skyrim. I come from a land very far from here and am searching for some relatives that I was told-“

Before she could finish spinning her lie, a searing wave of pain raced up her spine, causing her to stop talking and crumple in on herself. The guard rushed immediately to her side, his question forgotten as he kneeled down to the Bosmer’s level. Now that he was closer, he saw the damage along with the multiple bloodstains that were previously hidden from his view due to the armor’s dark color.

“You are injured, how did this happen?” He asked, slightly alarmed at the state the stranger was in.

“I was attacked… by an Orc pack… my arm was bitten by a Warg but I managed to get away,” Refridís said slowly, hissing in pain when the guard raised her bad arm to inspect.

The guard holding her turned towards his companion and barked an order that caused him to run off into the town before turning back to her, “We will take you to our healing rooms. A Warg bite is a very serious injury that is prone to infection.”

“Thank you…” Refridís mumbled, mentally groaning at the fact that she probably caught an illness and fighting to stay conscious.

After an attempt to carry her to the room that was quickly shut down by the stubborn wood elf, the guard carefully lifted her up by her good arm and allowed her to lean heavily on him as they walked down the long and winding hallways. They passed a multitude of elves that looked at the Bosmer with concern before hurrying away. Refridís in her bleary state of mind quickly lost the path to the exit in case she would have to escape. Despite the peaceful feeling that permeated the air, she was still very nervous about being surrounded, not knowing if these elves were friendly or had an ulterior motive for taking in an injured stranger. The guard led her into a room overlooking one of the waterfalls and Refridís almost cried out in happiness at the sight of the bed.

The elves in the room rushed towards her, taking her weight off the guard and peppering him with questions, speaking quickly between each other. To Refridís it sounded like birdsong, beautiful but meaning nothing.

“I will be right outside if you need anything,” the guard said as he closed the door behind him, “Lord Elrond will soon be here to help heal your wounds.”

The remaining elves lead her to a chair and took off her ruined armor, revealing the blood-soaked bandage on her arm. Some more of the chattering birdsong and they went to take off her shirt to see how extensive the damage was but Refridís flinched away.

“I can do it myself, I’m not a cripple,” she snapped at them, not wanting to explain what was hidden behind the cloth.

They gave her a stern look, looking like they were about to argue with her when there was a knock on the door. One of the elves looked relieved that she wouldn’t have to fight with her unruly patient and said something that Refridís could only imagine was the affirmation to come in.

A handsome dark-haired elf walked into the room and froze when he saw her, shock on his face and whispering something under his breath that Refridís didn’t quite catch.

To her surprise and joy, Gandalf came in behind him. She silently thanked the Divines as the two approach her.

“Refridís! I did not think we would see you again after you went missing,” Gandalf said, a tone of curiosity and suspicion lacing his words.

The Bosmer gave a laugh, before wincing, “Can’t get rid of me that easily Master Gandalf.”

The elf cleared his throat slightly, interrupting the exchange, “My name is Lord Elrond, Keeper of Rivendell. I wish I could welcome you in a more appealing manner but my guards told me that you arrived with an injury.”

“Yes, your elves here were trying to strip me of my dignity in order to look at it. It’s ridiculous that this many people need to be here just to look at one person.” Refridís said, trying to subtly express her discomfort at all the attention on her. Elrond caught on immediately and asked them to leave. She felt slightly guilty sending them off seeing as this was a healing room and they were just trying to help but she wasn’t about to give away what she was.

Once they left, she tiredly lifted up her wrapped arm for him to look at. Elrond quickly and skillfully took off the soiled bandages and looked at the bite with confusion at the greyish-green cream that was spread over it.

“A salve of my own making,” Refridís said, answering his non-verbal question, “It helps to stave off infection and speed up healing. I would use my own magicka to help it along but unfortunately I used it all up with my battle with the Orcs.”

]“Yes, Gandalf told me of your magical capabilities on our way here. This is quite a nasty bite as I can see that it has also affected your upper arm as well,” Elrond said as he moved to remove the bandages from her upper arm and shoulder.

]Refridís panicked slightly, her good arm shooting out and grabbing his hand before it could touch her, “That part is fine and does not need your attention,” she said in a low dangerous tone.

]Both the elf and the wizard were bewildered by her behavior before Elrond said calmly, “It is essential that a Warg bite is cleaned out thoroughly otherwise you run the risk of loosing the limb to infection or death.”

“It’s. fine.” the Bosmer repeated through clenched teeth and shoving the elf’s hand away.

“What is the meaning of this Refridís? Show Lord Elrond your injuries! I will not have you traveling with the company when you run the risk of dropping dead halfway to our destination,” Gandalf ordered.

Refridís glared at the two before giving a sigh of disgust as this was not a battle she could win, “Gandalf, if I may ask, how much do you know about my reputation as Skyrim’s dragonslayer?”

Elrond looked at Gandalf in confusion while the wizard was taken back by the question that seemed to have come out of nowhere, “I do not know why that is important right now but I heard of you from a traveler from a tavern. Strange fellow, dressed in purple with white hair talking nonsense. He spoke of a dragon slayer from Skyrim and I knew that your arch-mage came from the land. I contacted him for information only for you to respond instead.”

“Sheogorath! Damn the day I met that Daedric bastard, nothing but trouble!” Refridís exclaimed, before taking a breath and calming herself as the souls started to get restless, “So you know nothing of my methods of killing dragons?”

“What is all this talk of slaying dragons? Gandalf?” Elrond questioned, giving the grey wizard a suspicious look.

“I hardly think that your methods are of importance. What is this about?” the grey wizard responded towards the wood elf, giving Elrond a look that meant that he would explain later.

Refridís hesitated slightly, chewing on her lip in nervousness before explaining, “There is a reason why I am known across Skyrim and it is not just because I kill dragons. Any trained group of town guards is able to take one down even if the body count would be high. No, it is because I am the last of the Dovahkiin, individuals blessed by Akatosh to be born with the blood and soul of Dov.

In other words, I am a dragon in all but physical form, capable of the same magical feats but hidden as a mortal. However, this gift comes with great danger,” she continued, slowly unrolling the bandages and revealing the black scales in the candlelight, “I can absorb the souls of the dragons that I slay, gaining their power but the more dragon magick I use, the more of my true nature is revealed. With the physical change, comes a dangerous change in my state of mind and temper that I cannot fully control while under the influence of such magic.”

Refridís looked up to the two before stating, “The dwarves are very lucky to have survived today.”

The silence in the room was strangely deafening as Gandalf and Elrond stared at the scales on her shoulders, taking their time to process the new information. Refridís fidgeted slightly in her seat while waiting for a reaction with bated breath and a nervous stare.

“How far do those scales spread?” Elrond asked to her surprise.

 “They… all down my back I suppose. I haven’t had a chance to get a good look and see how far,” she answered in confusion, “are you… are you not afraid of my capabilities and who I am?”

“You are injured and seem in control of yourself now. Though we will discuss the matter later, as long as you do not threaten my people, you may find refuge here,” the elven lord said, a pained but guarded expression on his face as he treated the wounds, fingers barely brushing against the scales making her twitch each time.

Refridís could sense that he was hiding something but gave the kind elf a silent thanks before turning to Gandalf, “I hope you can forgive me for keeping this information secret. I am sure you understand why I had to.”

“It certainly would have been difficult to explain to the company that they would be traveling with a dragon,” the grey wizard finally said rubbing his temples with one hand, “I do not understand why you would hide it from me, however. I could sense that there was a large amount of power within you but didn’t put much thought into it. It was Radagast that pointed out that something was strange about you.”

“I could not have known that you may have told the others. I have spent far too long a time being revered and feared in my own country for my legend to spread here. I ask that if you wish for me to continue traveling with the dwarves that whatever is spoken of within this room stays here,” the Bosmer said, silently hinting to Elrond that her condition was not to be discussed with others.

“You have my word,” Gandalf replied.

“Mine as well,” Elrond answered, suddenly understanding why she didn’t want the other elves in the same room. He wrapped her arm in clean bandages after spreading some cool salve that felt heavenly on the wood elf’s arm, “You should get some sleep to help you recover. If you have been traveling with the dwarves that have found shelter here, you are very much in need of a good night’s rest.”

“They are here as well?” Refridís asked, trying to stifle a yawn that attempted to escape at the mention of sleeping.

“Yes, all of them are safe. We will leave you for the night and return in the morning,” the wizard said as he left the room, “Pleasant dreams Refridís.”

Elrond waited until the door closed behind the wizard before turning to Refridís. She felt a skin prickle as his eyes seemed to bore holes straight through her.

“This may seem like a strange question but does the name Istilrína mean anything to you?” the elven lord asked.

A twinge of familiarity raced through Refridís as he uttered those words. She knew she had never heard the name before and as she tried to think harder her head began to hurt, like it was trying to stop her from remembering.

“I… the name seems familiar, like I should know it,” Refridís explained slowly, feeling as if the answer was just beyond her grasp, “I lost a good part of my memory a long time ago. Maybe its from then?”

Refridís glanced up at the elf in confusion waiting for an answer but was met with a concerned frown. Elrond stood up and went to the door to leave. He turned towards her, “Do not worry about the name then, I was merely curious. There is a bath attached to the room if you wish to use it though I caution that you do not wet the bandages. I will have someone come by with a fresh change of cloths in a little while. A guard will be stationed at the door to stop anyone from disturbing you so if you need anything just call out.”

When the door was closed and she was left alone, Refridís let out a scoff, “How can you ask me something and then tell me to forget about it when you don’t give me an answer? Doesn’t make sense.”

Though the bed was gently whispering her name, she could not stand her own smell. The Bosmer got up from her chair and walked into the bathing room that was connected. There was a large bath in the center of the room and the air was humid from the steaming water that bubbled up from what might have been hot springs. The faint smell of flowers made the tired wood elf relax and she quickly shed the rest of her clothing before carefully dipping herself in.

The hot waters were heavenly against her aching muscles and helped to sooth her mind. Refridís found several small vials filled with oil and picked one up. Uncapping it, she gave it a quick whiff and was able to identify the smell of mint and juniper mixed within. She poured a small amount into the water and the scent quickly spread throughout the room. The Bosmer desperately wished that she could completely submerge herself in it but grudgingly refrained, as it would have undone her healer’s hard work. She was quite surprised that they had taken the news of her identity so well but she knew that it would come up in future conversations. Still it troubled her that she couldn’t remember the name.

 _“Istilr_ _í_ _na, I wonder who you are…”_ With a sigh, she undid her braids and dunked her head back into the water to get her hair wet. When she came back up, she carefully worked the big tangles out with her good hand and grabbed a small towel that was next to the bath and scrubbed her self clean of the mud, sweat, and blood. The water was a muddy brown when she stepped out but was becoming clear as it flowed out of a grate and hot water kept bubbling in.

She wrapped a warm towel around herself and peeked into the room where she would be resting. She was pleased to find that someone had come in, most likely one of the healer elves, and placed clothes onto her bed. She dried herself and put on the underclothes, and breathed a sigh of relief when she inspected the clothes and found that they would cover her now scaled shoulders and silently thanked Elrond for the small act of kindness. She slipped into the simple green nightgown that was left, the hem pooling around her feet as it was made for someone who was taller in stature than her but she wasn’t about to turn down the comfortable clothes.

Refridís sat down onto the bed and pulled out some things from her enchanted pack. She quickly found a comb and tamed her wild hair, making a single braid out of her still damp hair once all the knots and tangles were removed, too tired to bother with any of her more favored hairstyles. She collapsed backwards into the pillow and fell into a heavy sleep as the moon just began its ascent.

* * *

 

It felt like it had only been a few minutes that she had been asleep before Refridís was violently jerked out of her sleep. She sat up, groggy and confused to look around the room, her hand resting on the dagger she had placed on her nightstand, but saw nothing that might have caused her to wake up.  What she heard, however, was a barely noticeable whisper in the air.

 _“I know those voices,”_ Refridís thought as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the dragon claw she had found in the troll hoard, _“I would know them from anywhere.”_

She grabbed her twin swords and belt, securing them on the slightly long dress before peeking outside of her door. The Bosmer scowled when she saw a guard faithfully keeping duty over the room and tiptoed back to her cloths. Though it was in need of washing and repair, Nocturnal’s hood was in relatively good shape as she buckled it around her neck. Giving a quick prayer, she kept to the shadows so that she was nearly invisible and carefully exited the room and traveled down the hall without being called out, the cloak hugging her form.

She gave a breath of relief when she found the stairs and crept down them, making sure not to make a sound despite the dragging nightgown. The wood elf kept an eye out for anyone who might have been wandering the halls so late at night as she descended further and further into the town. The stairs stopped halfway to her destination so she had to search the floor for another way down. She was getting closer as the whispers had risen in volume to a constant murmur in her mind. She passed multiple rooms, making sure to look in them for anything that might have been useful and of value before continuing on. She walked through a hall decorated with different murals and portraits. One made her pause, depicting a family she could only guess was some sort of royalty or high importance.

The woman had snowy white hair that looked as if it was shining, a golden circlet placed upon her brow and eyes that reminded her of light filtering in between leaves. The man that stood behind her was looking down in a loving manner, his hands placed on the woman’s shoulder but Refridís couldn’t help but feel as if he was a foreigner. His face was unlike those of the elves she had seen in the other portraits, sharper, wilder. In the woman’s arm was a child who shared her white hair and green eyes, though many of her other physical features were shared with her father, who was smiling brightly.

Refridís felt something on her face and wiped at it only to find that they were tears. She gave a last glance at the portrait before hurrying away, unnerved by the fact that it caused her to react in such a way.

She passed a large mural that depicted a battle between a warrior enveloped in light and another enveloped in shadow. Her crimson eyes were drawn to a ring of gold on the dark figure, the only spot of color on him. She stared at it for a moment, wondering what it’s significance must have been to be included on the painting before looking to her right and seeing the remains of a shattered sword being held by a graceful statue.

 _“What might have caused a sword to shatter in such matter?”_ she thought as she continued on her way.

Refridís had to hold back a squeal of delight when she discovered a massive library filled with books whose titles she could barely read or understand, _“Oh what Hermaeus Mora would do to get his hands on this collection.”_

The Bosmer was tempted to stop in the room and look through a couple of books but the heavy weight of the claw on her side reminded her of her current quest. She made a quick mental note of where the room was before finding another set of stairs that led further down. As she continued her descent, the town changed from carved smooth stone to rockier and more natural formations. The voices became stronger and Refridís found herself entering an abandoned cave that had water trickling down into its mouth. It was very dark except for when the light of the moon appeared in patches where the ceiling had caved in and slightly illuminating the way. With only a few minutes of walking she saw the gentle glow of fire from one of the corners and approached it carefully. The stone had once again become carved but instead of the gentle and elegant carvings of the elves, the words and depictions of the Ancient Nords decorated the wall where a seal rested in the middle of a locked door leading to a barrow. Seeing the tools around the area, Refridís could tell that the elves must have made an attempt to gain access to the chamber within but were probably blocked off by the magic that protected the area. Not even dragonfire could penetrate the barrows of the Ancient Nords.

Refridís pulled out the silver and gold claw to look at the pattern in its palm. Though age had worn down the code, she could tell that the figures carved were of a wolf, a dragon, and a hawk and rotated the heavy stone wheels until the pattern matched up. Carefully she placed the claw in the stone impression and pressed down until she heard a click and turned it. The gears behind the door gave a groaning creak, struggling to work after what might be millennia of disused and opened slowly.

The chamber inside was not unlike the barrows of Skyrim and familiarity washed over the Bosmer as she cautiously entered the room with a ready sword in her good hand. She wished that she could have brought her bow with her but the injury to her arm would have made it useless. Refridís turned around quickly when the stone door gave a slam as it closed and locked itself. Taking this into account, she was very careful where she placed her feet, spotting several booby traps and traveled further into the barrow. There was a surprising lack of draugr which made her on edge as the path ascended sharply and the voices in her mind chanted in Dovazul. She made it to the word wall’s chamber without even a trace of the undead warriors, not even a skeleton found as she approached the glowing words carved in stone.

 _“This is far too easy. Something’s not right...”_ Refridís thought to herself as she looked around the room trying to spot some sort of trick but found none.

The wood elf took the time to look in every nook and cranny, just in case she missed something despite the pounding in her head as the voices took over her thoughts. When nothing was found she approached the word wall with her eyes closed and kneeled. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before opening her eyes and reading the text. Her senses were immediately assaulted as the voices rose to a painful roar, her vision became blurred, and blood began to leak out of her nose, dripping onto the stone floor, but she kept herself steady making sure to read all of the text scratched into the wall. As the knowledge enveloped her she let out a gasp, unknowingly having held her breath as she was reading. The word was not a strange one and was actually one she used in conversation often.

**_Ofan-_ ** _Give_

In her concentration to learn the word, she did not notice as a misty gas filled the chamber, taking the form of a ghostly specter. Refridís only barely managed to raise her sword to stop the ethereal blade that swung at her, her sensitive ears hearing the slight whistling of air making her aware that she was not alone. The ghost was a very old, powerful looking Nord that snarled at her with rotted teeth as he swung again making her roll right in order to avoid being sliced in two.

The Bosmer quickly got to her feet and into a defensive stance as she waited for the Nord to attack her again. Despite being thousands of years old, the ghost was surprisingly agile, obviously being a skilled swordsman when he was alive. Refridís had to stay on her toes as swing after swing attempted to decapitate her. It was during one of her evasive maneuvers that she tripped on the long hem of her dress and fell heavily on her back. A burst of stars flooded her vision as her head made connection with stone and she dropped her sword to cradle her head in pain. Luckily when she looked at her hand there was no trace of blood but she was distracted by loud footsteps as the ghost approached her. She looked up to see the Nord towering over her, his sword raised above his head to give a deadly blow. Out of magicka and not wanting to use a shout so soon after another, Refridís delved into her soul for energy.  She raised her hand and let out a powerful blast of blinding white light that made the specter dissolve with a pained screech, the sword clattering uselessly onto the ground.

Refridís relaxed on the floor, hissing slightly as her head rested on the cool stone. There would definitely be a large bump the next morning. The small burst of soul energy made her exhaustion return and it felt like she never slept that night.

“Hopefully it will still be dark enough to sleep when I leave,” the wood elf muttered to herself.

She stood and picked up the ghost’s sword, inspecting it to see if it was worth taking with her. Refridís nearly mistook the black blade to be made of ebony ore but it did not have the characteristic silver patterns that normally decorated the swords. In addition, she felt as if the metal itself was exuding a dark aura. She decided against bringing it with her not liking the malicious power that surrounded it and placed it in front of the word wall to be forgotten. She rummaged through the large chest next to the wall and found several valuable pieces of jewelry.

 _“How pretty,”_ Refridís thought to herself as she clipped one around her neck and gathered whatever gold was stored in the bottom of the chest.

The Bosmer followed a small stream out of the chamber and down a tunnel that smelled of fresh air. At the end, she found a lever that would open a secret door to the outside and pressed it down. To her pleasant surprise, it opened in quiet area of Rivendell. She tiptoed out, careful not to splash the water too much and closed the door, making sure that it was locked once again and sealed the chamber within. She was about to try and find her way back to her room when she heard murmuring coming out of one of the rooms down the hall.

“Our business is no concern of elves,” a deep voice that could only belong to Thorin grumbled.

Refridís slipped quietly into the room, hiding herself in a shadowed corner and waiting for the interaction to play out. Delighted to see Bilbo within the group of those present, she wanted to talk to him and reassure him that she was all right, knowing that the hobbit’s personality probably made him worry about her disappearance. Her attention turned back to the bigger picture as Gandalf made a frustrated noise.

“Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond.”

The dwarven king looked silently annoyed at being ordered but thought quietly for a few seconds, looking at the folded map in his hands before straightening himself out and swallowing his pride as he handed it to Elrond. Balin protested the action but was brushed aside as it was taken from his hands.

Elrond looked at it with curiosity before directing a question towards Thorin, “Erebor. What is your interest in this map?”

Thorin was about to reply with their quest but Gandalf interrupted him, “It’s mainly academic. As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text. You still read Ancient Dwarvish do you not?”

Elrond gave the grey wizard a sharp look, piecing the different clues together and probably figuring out their true purpose. Nonetheless he walked a little bit away looking at the map. A stray moonbeam hit the map and Elrond lifted it into the moonlight some more, having found something.

 _“Cirth ithil,”_ the elf spoke in wonder.

“Moon runes. Of course,” Gandalf translated, acting as if he knew exactly what would have been found before turning to the others, “An easy thing to miss.

“Well in this case, that is true;” Elrond explained, “moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written.”

“Can you read them?” Thorin asked hopefully.

“No, not this year or for a few more. These runes were written on a Midsummer’s Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. Midsummer is still two days away, its proximity only just allowing me to find the runes, and the moon will just have started to wane. There is nothing to be done. I am sorry,” Elrond responded in an apologetic tone.

The shoulders of the dwarves slumped slightly at the news before Thorin asked angrily, “So this journey has been for naught?”

“Not necessarily,” Refridís spoke up as she stepped out of the shadows.

The group turned around in surprise at the sudden intrusion to look at the wood elf as she approached. Bilbo gained a wide smile when he saw her, Balin gave her a small grin while Thorin gave her a scowl but a respectful nod as well.

“You should be resting,” Elrond began to reprimand her, “however did you get pass the guard at your door?”

“Couldn’t sleep so I went exploring. It was pretty easy to get past him but it was no fault of his own. He just happened to be assigned to someone with exceptional escaping skills,” The Bosmer answered, laughing slightly.

“What did you mean by not necessarily? It’s not like you can change the phases of the moon, no matter how powerful of a wizard you claim to be,” Thorin questioned.

“I might not be able to but I know someone who can and they will not be pleased when I call in my favor.”

* * *

 

Under the shadow of night, the howls of wargs echoed from a dark fortress announcing the return of the Orc scouts. Those resting gathered around the party as they walked up the steps towards their leader, eager to hear the news of their travels. As they approached, a large white Warg snarled at them, making sure that they did not approach her master too closely, a tall pale Orc who faced away from them.

“The Dwarves,” Yazneg, the leader of the scouts began nervously in Black Speech, “Master… we lost them. Ambushed by Elvish filth and attacked by a-”

“I don’t want excuses…” Azog growled as he turned around, the light of the moon shining off the metal arm and claw that replaced what he had lost in the battle of Azanulbizar, “I want the head of the Dwarf King!”

“We-we were outnumbered and had heavy damage dealt to us from a sorcerer woman who accompanied the dwarves before the elves arrived. She-she controlled a dragon! There was nothing we could do.” Yazneg stuttered as Azog walked towards him him.

Azog slowed at his words, “Dragon? You say that this woman could control a fire-drake?”

Yazneg quickly nodded his head, “Yes! It was unlike anything I have ever seen. We had surrounded her and another dwarf when she let out this massive amount of fire from her mouth and began to tear my scouts apart with her bare hands! It is why I have these burns on my face. The dragon landed a few moments later and took her away as the elves began firing arrows. I barely escaped with my life!”

The pale Orc was now in front of Yazneg and stroked the side of his face; palm running over the blistered skin and the scout leader gave a hiss. Azog’s expression turned dark and he lifted Yazneg by the throat with his metal arm.

“Far better you had paid with it,” he spat, before throwing him with a roar into a pillar close to a group of wargs who tore him apart. He turned towards a fellow rider unfazed while the other quaked in fear at the sight of the brutal act, “The Dwarf-scum will show themselves soon enough. Send out word, there is a price on their heads! Bring me the sorcerer alive! She will be useful for our plans…”

The Orcs quickly leapt onto their Wargs and ran off into the darkness to carry out Azog’s will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a bit longer but I felt that this was a good place to cut it off since I want to make Rivendell a multi-chapter scene. Hope you enjoyed reading it and I will try to update within the next two weeks (but don’t hold me to it)!  
> Reviews, questions, follows, and favorites are highly appreciated as I like feedback on how I am doing! Hope you lovelies have a wonderful day~


	13. Battle Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Hey everyone! It’s been quite a while since the last update but I swear to you all that this chapter was supposed to be posted last Monday. Every single time I sat down to write this, within five minutes I would be interrupted by something or someone and the chapter that was halfway done was deleted so I had to rewrite it over again. Also, college is finally picking up as we head towards the end of the semester. Who the hell assigns seven essays within a week?
> 
> Enough of that though, I want to thank everyone for sticking with this fic despite its current sparse updates. Thank you to the reviewers: DecrepitSoul, Lotheon, Victor, Dis Lexic, Jmw, and PassiveResistance! To the new readers, favoriters, and followers, welcome and thank you for your support! Also, a question to you all: should I continue responding to reviews at the top of the chapter or move them to the bottom?
> 
> Question time!  
> To DecrepitSoul: This chapter might feel a bit more transitional since I needed to fill the space between Refridís’ arrival and the Midsummer’s Eve. The word and her scales will very much be part of the plot but I won’t give anything away. :)  
> To Victor: He seems to have taken the hint since he’s been following me around a lot less, so I’m glad for that. There will be other being who find out about her nature but that will happen as the story goes along. I am planning for Lucia and Sofie to make a reappearance but I still haven’t cemented on how that will happened (it will though!). Thank you for your reviews!  
> To Dis Lexic: Who knows what goes on in that crazy Daedra’s head? :)  
> To PassiveResistance: Well as we all know, a bunch of shit is going to go down in Middle-Earth within the next couple of years so it isn’t too surprising if the princes of all things bad are interested in the area. There will be quite a reaction for what I am planning (I’m so excited to write it since it’s one of the main scenes I’ve been thinking of since the beginning of the fic). Also yes, many of the things I pick up in-game end up in a chest in my house since I tend to hoard everything I find. I once, very stupidly, went through a massive Chaurus nest and picked up all the eggs I could find. Needless to say, I was encumbered with over 400 eggs that I refused to drop, not including the ones I gave to Faendal to carry. I try not to have too many filler chapters since I’m not very good with them (though I apologize for this chapter since it is sort of a filler). Also, you have no idea what I plan on doing to our poor main character ;D
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this chapter!  
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

_Golden light filtered through twisting spires as she ran down the hall, darting in between the walking inhabitants who laughed slightly at the small thing’s focus. She slowed down at a door peeking in and when she saw her target speaking to others she quietly snuck behind a curtain._

_“-despite your troubles is the barrow nearly complete?” her target spoke to a group of large men._

_“You worry about your visions, we’ll worry about our building,” one man answered gruffly, his shoulder covered in a thin deerskin cloak and his arms crossed, “You said this was the last place you saw in your vision. Has Akatosh sent you any more?”_

_"No he has not. As far as I know this will be the last barrow before we sail for home,” the smaller man answered, though he was fidgeting a bit, “but… the elves have been most gracious so far, surely they will allow us to stay for a bit longer?”_

_Another man started to laugh, deep and rough, “Figures that a Bosmer would want to stay with his own kind.”_

_The deerskin man’s face grew stony and he held a black sword to the wood elf’s throat making him back up against a wall, “We warned you, the only reason we brought you is because Akatosh willed it and you will take us back across the sea storm. I do not care what you feel for these pointy-eared cunts. You’d do well to remember that we need you alive, not uninjured.”_

_“Yes, yes of course, I understand,” the Bosmer breathed out and he rubbed his neck were the blade was held when the man backed up._

_The man turned to his companions, “Lets go, I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”_

_As the men followed their leader out of the room the Bosmer whispered, “Nordic bastards, they’d all be doomed before Alduin if it wasn’t for me.”_

_The wood elf turned to look back at his plans on his desk when he heard quiet giggling. He paused looking up, a small smile on his face as he began to wander around the room._

_“Now, now, is that a mouse I hear in this room? Surely an elven home like this would be cleaner than that!” He said, the giggling resuming as he passed her hiding spot._

_She squealed in delight as the Bosmer pulled back the curtain and scooped her up in his arms, “My what a big mouse this is! And so strange looking too!”_

_“Ada! I’m not a mouse!” the small girl responded, an indignant frown on her face as she spoke._

_The wood elf gave a small gasp as he stroked her silver hair, “But of course! How could I mistake my little star for a mouse?”_

_The child laughed as she hugged her father and he asked, “Where is your Nana? She is supposed to be watching you.”_

_“She was talking to Grumpy and the kind elf,” she responded._

_He gave a sharp laugh before saying, “That’s certainly one way to describe Lindir but please call him by his name and remember that the kind elf is called Elrond, he’s the one letting us stay here. Now, let’s go find your mother…”_

* * *

 

Refridís blinked sleepily at the pale dawn light that filtered through the windows as a quick knock echoed in her room, interrupted her dream. She had left the meeting almost as quickly as she had arrived at Elrond’s adamant orders that she should rest but she still felt exhausted from her trek through the barrow and her fight afterwards.

A female voice asked, “May I come in?”

“Might as well,” the Bosmer muttered back loud enough for her to hear.

“I brought you some more clothes to wear for your stay as I am sure that wandering around in an evening gown is not at the top of your to-do list,” she responded kindly, “If you wish, I can find someone to repair your armor?”

Refridís sat up with a sigh and looked at the intruder who disturbed her sleep. She was a rather youthful but, then again, one never knew what age an elf might actually be. Her hair was a slightly curled brown and eyes that matched. In her delicate hands, she carried a dark blue dress and a wine red tunic with brown pants.

“You are right, I don’t think it would be proper for me to go around like this, though I am sure the reactions would be amusing” Refridís answered with a small laugh, taking the clothing, “Thank you, for these and the ones you gave me last night. I would very much appreciate if my armor could be repaired, it is very dear to me.”

The Bosmer gave the she-elf a nod as she disappeared behind the door with her armor and was once again left alone. Refridís undid her braid, her hair still slightly damp and wavy and brushed it straight. She took note of the sun that filtered into her room reminded her of her dream, though she felt like it wasn’t a dream but more of a memory.

_“Can’t be, I’ve never been to Middle Earth before and the barrow here is millennia old. I was a little over a hundred when Alduin attacked Helgen. Additionally that child had silver hair and mine is black as shadow. I must be picking up something’s memories here.”_

She shook the dream from her head and took the time to put it up in to a more complex hairstyle, feeling that her normal hairstyle was rather inadequate compared to the beauty of the town but made sure that it would remain out of her way for what she planned that day.

Though her arm was still sore from the Warg bite and she could feel the bump on her head as she worked her hair, she planned to get Bilbo’s sword training started. The hobbit’s lack of weapons training made her nervous in case he was ever separated from the group and needed to defend himself, that and Thorin’s poor attitude towards the Halfling at their first meeting made it a necessary goal in her mind. She unraveled the bandage from her arm to check on its progress and to her surprise it was healing rather well and quickly.

 _“I wonder if it is the herbs the elves used or my own circumstances. This looks like it has been healing for days,”_ Refridís thought as she slipped out of her gown and began to put on her pants.

Looking around the healing room, she spotted some clean bandages and quickly wrapped her injuries and, for good measure, wrapped the scales that were beginning to creep down her arm. Afterwards, she put on the tunic carefully so that she did not mess up her hair to badly and slid on a pair of dark leather boots.

As the Bosmer walked out of her room, the guard on duty snapped to attention, causing her to think that he’d probably dozed off at some point during dawn.

“Good morning!” Refridís said, attempting to be friendly despite her early awakening.

The guard gave her a nod before saying, “Lord Elrond has invited you and the dwarves to dine with him this morning. Do you need to be accompanied?”

“No, no. Don’t worry about me, I will manage on my own,” she responded, “I believe, however, you should get some rest. Wouldn’t want anyone to catch you sleeping on the job.”

The guard looked at her confused, “I was merely meditating, elves do not need sleep like that of man.”

Refridís gave him a curious hum before walking away though it was only after going through a few twists and turns that she realized that perhaps going off on her own wasn’t such a good idea as she was completely and utterly lost. There were no elves around whom she could ask for directions so she kept on going straight.

To her relief, after a few minutes of wandering, she began to hear the conversation and shouts of her Dwarven companions from ahead and quickened her pace. She was about to turn a corner when she spotted Elrond with another elf looking with shock and disgust from a nearby ledge and had only a moment to wonder what had caused their reaction before she saw for herself.

Now Refridís had spent many of her days alongside men, male elves, and other masculine creatures during times of war and had seen many in various states of undress when she would help the restoration mages with their work but nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared her for the sight that was twelve dwarves bathing and running around slapping each others with soaked towels.

She felt her face turn scarlet and leaned against the rock to wait for them to notice her, making sure that her eyes did not wander down. When they weren’t stubbornly refusing her help and being suspicious of every little motive, they actually seemed like a lot of fun. It reminded her of the Thieves Guild when they would get a new shipment of Black-Briar Mead, courtesy of their agreement with the Jarl.

It seemed like fate had decided to have some fun when Kíli finally caught her gaze and looked confused for a moment before realizing his situation and ducking down into the water with a mortified look and a yelp. The festivities of the dwarves stopped at their companion’s reaction so they all heard a throat clearing behind them. The Bosmer had enough sense to look away before they turned towards the sound, certain that her face was a brilliant crimson from her embarrassment.

“Lord Elrond has invited us to breakfast this morning…,” Refridís said, “I believe I took a wrong turn.”

There was a moment of silence before someone started to chuckle and pretty soon she heard many of the dwarves laughing and cheering.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, her cheeks still radiating warmth.

“Oh lass,” one of the dwarves said, Bofur she guessed, “We honestly didn’t know if you would return to us or not with the story that Kíli told us! That, and the fact that you actually have a sense of humor!”

“Funnily enough, Bosmer are known to be the only elves with a sense of humor in my country,” Refridís informed them with a scowl, “You lack faith in me if you believe a dragon slayer can’t take down a few overgrown wolves and orcs.”

“I’m sure some of us would like to invite you over and ask how in Mahal’s named you survived but I don’t think you would appreciate the timing,” someone shouted at her.

Refridís gave a humorous snort, “That would be a very correct guess. I will tell you all at the breakfast table.”

“Why not now? Don’t you enjoy the view?” another taunted, definitely Fíli.

“That question will remain unanswered as either choice has consequences,” she yelled back, her face once again becoming flush and quickly walking away, “I will see you all once you’ve put on clothes!”

As she climbed down the steps quickly, the dwarves finished up their baths and began to get dressed, stomachs rumbling at the prospect of food.

 Kíli was still bright red when he slipped his shirt over his head. He asked his brother nervously, “How long do you think she was there?”

The golden-haired Durin hummed, putting on his boots, before answering, “I spotted her watching us for a couple of minutes before you went off sounding like a chicken with its head cut off. Why?”

“She was watching us?!”

* * *

 

Refridís had eventually found a guard to ask where breakfast was being held and they graciously led her to a balcony overlooking the falls. Gentle music was being played by elves and Gandalf, Elrond, Thorin, and Bilbo were already seated and eating when she walked in.

“Speaking of which, here she is! How are you feeling this morning,” Elrond asked the Bosmer.

She gave him a small glare as she sat down next to her hobbit friend, “Good morning all of you. I’m feeling rather well Lord Elrond though I think I would have been better should someone had warned me of where my path led.”

“Ah yes, it’s just that we spotted you a bit to late to give you warning, my apologize,” the elf said, though she could sense a humorous undertone in his words.

Refridís side-eyed him as she turn towards Bilbo with a wide smile, “Good morning, Master Baggins!”

He returned her smile, “Morning! You know you can just call me Bilbo?”

“Yes yes, I know. I have some plans I want to do with you today,” the wood elf said as Bilbo gave her a confused look, “Though I highly doubt you will master the sword in one day, I find it necessary that you should at least know how to use it correctly.”

Bilbo was sputtering a reply when the rest of the company filed in, chatting and laughing. As they passed Refridís’ gaze some of them winked at her making her cheeks warm slightly. She noticed that Kíli walked by rather quickly and kept his head down, and Fíli, noticing his brother’s reaction, laughed loudly.

Breakfast was served shortly after their arrival and when Refridís was crestfallen when she saw no meat. Though she had long given up the Green Pact of Valenwood, she stilled preferred meat to greens and ate very little.

She froze halfway through chewing a rather sweet vegetable when Balin asked, “So how did you survive and get back to us?”

All eyes were on her, one of them nervous, as she swallowed and asked, “I’m not sure what you all have heard from Kíli. Why don’t you tell me so I don’t recount that part of the story?”

It surprised her when the normally shy Ori spoke up and said, “ He told us that you let loose a giant fire spell that took down many of the Orcs and that both of you fought to the remaining Orcs. A warg bit you on the arm after you were distracted by the elven horns and you helped him to escape. He said that he saw you being dragged away.”

Refridís subconsciously rubbed the arm that was bit and glanced towards Kíli who had finally looked up. She blinked her eyes and gave him a barely visible nod to show that she could work with the story. The raven-haired dwarf gave a notable slump of relief as she began to spin her tale.

“Yes, I would expect for him not to know anything pass that. I was considerably weakened after the fire spell and had very little magicka left. The pack was trying to outrun the elven riders who chased them and for that I thank Lord Elrond as he provided me an opportunity to escape. The Warg who carried me was shot on the hindquarters and let me go out of reflex. With my arm now free I used a smaller fire spell to the underside of its face, setting its fur on fire. I used the chaos of the battle to run for cover, as I did not dare run across the field where I might accidently be shot by a stray arrow or mistaken for the enemy.

The elves left shortly after and many of the Orcs laid dead on the field. My arm was bleeding rather heavily and I used the rest of my remaining magicka to try to heal the wound. It did very little so I made a poultice and used some cloth to make bandages and wrapped up my arm. After that, I just climbed into the cave, followed the path and… here I am,” she said finishing her story.

Refridís did not know how much they would believe though from the looks of it many of them had already began to accept her explanation and only a few were looking at her with scrutiny. One of them did not believe her at all, knowing the true reason of why she had survived but she would talk to him later to give him his explanation. She noticed that Ori was furiously scribbling in a little journal of his and decided to talk to him later about it.

“That’s quite a tale miss Refridís, though I’m sure I can say for many of us that we are glad to have you back,” Fíli said, ending the silence that had taken over the balcony as even the elves who were playing music had stopped to hear the tale.

“Glad to be back,” she said with a smile as she rose her cup of wine to her lips.

Breakfast continued and Refridís found her appetite to be too great so she ate some more of her greens. She watched as the dwarves grumbled among each other, enjoying the breakfast as much as her. A haunting tune played from behind her as an elf blew into a flute and she found herself smiling, remembering the bards that often played at the inns and taverns she would visit for the night. She watched as Óin stuffed a napkin into his hearing trumpet and giving a smirk as he no longer heard the flute.

She heard Elrond was examining the weapons that they had found in the troll hoard.

“This is Orcrist,” he explained as he held Thorin’s sword, “the Goblin Cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin. May it serve you well.”

Refridís felt the hair on her neck stand up and she became slightly more cautious of the elves standing around them, _“So they are high elves…”_

“And this is Glamdring,” Elrond continued, snapping her out of her thoughts, “the Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the goblin wars of the First Age…”

The Bosmer felt the heavy weight of her own blades and brought them to their table, “And these?”

Elrond looked up at her as he took the blades, “the sister swords Aryante and Sildaraana, Daybringer and Gleaming-Moon, used to strike down a powerful and influential goblin chieftain. How did you come by these?”

“We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road,” Gandalf answered, “shortly before we were ambushed by Orcs.”

“And what were you doing on the Great East Road?” Elrond asked, suspicion once again returning.

Thorin excused himself from the table and walked out and Refridís sat back down in her seat. She watched as he walked away, deep in thought, and wondered to herself what was wrong.

“I wouldn’t bother, laddie,” she heard Balin say and turned to see that Bilbo was looking at his own blade, “Swords are named for the great deeds they do in war.”

Bilbo looked at him, slightly offended, “What are you saying, my sword hasn’t seen battle?”

“I’m not actually sure it is a sword; more of a letter opener, really,” he responded, giving the hobbit a small smile.

“Letter opener or not, Bilbo needs to learn how to wield it effectively,” the Bosmer said from Bilbo’s other side, “That’s why after breakfast we are going to be training.”

“B-but your arm is still healing! What if you get hurt? What if I hurt you?” the Halfling asked, worried about the prospects of harming his friends.

“Ah I’ve had worse, and no offense but I do not believe you will be able to hurt me. You can’t tell an attacker to stop fighting just because you have a little injury,” she told him as she pushed away her plate.

Bilbo was about to respond when all of a sudden Nori shouted, “Change the tune would you? I feel like I’m at a funeral!”

“What?! Did somebody die?” Óin asked, not hearing well with the napkin stuffed in his hearing trumpet.

“Alright lads, there’s only one thing for it!” Bofur said as he got up and stood on the table and began to sing,

 

_There is an inn, a merry old inn_   
_beneath an old grey hill,_   
_And there they brew a beer so brown_   
_That the Man in the Moon himself came down_   
_one night to drink his fill._

_The ostler has a tipsy cat_   
_that plays a five-stringed fiddle;_   
_And up and down he saws his bow_   
_Now squeaking high, now purring low,_   
_now sawing in the middle._

_So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,_   
_a jig that would wake the dead:_   
_He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,_   
_While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:_   
_‘It’s after three!’ he said._

 

While Refridís was at first amused at the dwarf’s antics, she was quickly embarrassed by their food throwing and even gave Kíli a sharp look when he threw something that nearly hit Lindir. Kíli gave her a wide smile and she returned it with a breathy laugh and a small shake of her head.

* * *

 

Since the food was all over the floor, breakfast was quickly ended and she led Bilbo to a training field that the dwarfs had found. Most of them stuck around, having nothing better to do in the Elvish town except to watch them.

Training the hobbit was not as easy as Refridís thought it would be, his low confidence heavily affecting his movements and strikes. She treated him like she would any other trainee that she taught in Skyrim, never giving him a break, making him repeat movements over and over again when she felt that they did not meet her standards. The dwarves were cheering on the Halfling but knew in the back of their minds that he probably had no chance of learning what took years of practice and experience.

When Bilbo was disarmed again for what she felt the dozenth time, Refridís gave a growl, “Again! And this time hold your sword like I taught you!”

“Maybe you should give him a break! He’ll only get worse from here,” someone shouted from the sidelines.

She looked at the panting hobbit before giving a sigh, “Fine, go sit down. But I am not giving up on you!”

Bilbo leaned against a pillar with a sigh of relief and slid down into sitting position, exhausted from the continuous exercises.

Refridís was sheathing the blade when she heard, “How about a little friendly competition?”

“I don’t see why not,” the Bosmer replied, intrigued that she might be fighting an actual opponent, “Who would like to go against me?”

“I do.”

Refridís turned towards the voice and saw that it was Kíli that had spoken. She was taken back slightly but agreed to the match.

The two circled around each other, blades glinting off the morning sun, before Kíli made the first move and rushed her. She brought her blade up, stopping the hit and kicked her leg out in front of her, hitting him in the stomach and making him stumble back.

“You’ll have to do better than that!” She said in a teasing tone.

Kíli gave a growl and launched a series of attacks that she had some difficulties stopping. While she could defend herself with a blade very well, archery and long- ranged attacks were her strong suit.

It was at the end of the barrage, the two of them nearly face-to-face when Kíli whispered, “You owe me an explanation.”

“You want to do this now?” Refridís asked quietly as she jumped back slightly and let his blade hit the ground.

She swung at him, Kíli easily sidestepping her, “Better now than later when you run off to avoid this conversation.”

“Fine,” the wood elf said as she made sure that her attacks stayed short-ranged so the others did not here them, “That fire spell that you saw on the field was called a Thu’um, a dragon shout, and the only people who are capable of making them are those who have trained for years to be able to do it and those who are Dovahkiin.”

Kíli ducked down to avoid nearly getting his head cut off and swung at her legs, Refridís easily jumping over the blade, “My guess is that you are the latter?”

“Yes, I am. Dovahkiin in common tongue means Dragonborn and those who have been blessed or cursed with the title are capable of using the power of dragons, but it always comes with a price,” she continued dodging an attack that would have struck her bad arm, “the more a person uses the power, the less control they have of their draconic side because,” she said kicking the back of Kíli’s knee making him fall to the ground and holding the tip of her blade at his throat, “we are dragons in blood and soul with the forms of mortals.”

Kíli had frozen up at the end of her explanation, a growing fear evident in his eyes. Refridís sheathed her blade and held a hand out to help him off the ground. He took it and used it to pull himself up.

“You are a dragon?” he whispered to her as some of the dwarves in the sidelines cheered and exchanged small pouches of coins with each other, having made bets on who would win.

“In all manners except physically and some what mentally. I cannot control myself while I am in that mindset, it is why I try to use Thu’ums as sparsely as possible,” she said as they shook hands in a symbol of sportsmanship, “Do you see now why I try to hide this? If I told the company of my power, they would make me use the shouts whenever we are in trouble and there is no doubt that Thorin would strike me down where I stood if he found out that dragons were traveling with them. I could have killed you on that plain, be glad that Odahviing arrived when he did.

On a completely different note,” Refridís with a mischievous grin said as she began to walk away and acting like the conversation had never happened, “You should be shirtless more often.”

With a wink, she left a very red and flustered Kíli in the middle of the field, not knowing what to think with these two very different pieces of information.

* * *

 

Refridís spent the rest of the day at the library she had found on her way to the barrow, browsing through the books trying to find anything that was of interest and that she could actually read due to the language differences. It had become dark and using candlelight she was halfway through a charming story about a man and his adventures in the wild when Elrond and Gandalf walked in. They did not see her immediately as she had settled herself on top of a bookshelf to insure that she would not be disturbed in her reading so she listened in to their conversation.

At first they spoke of Gandalf’s strange traveling companions and she was almost tempted to ignore them and return to her reading but then Elrond said, “And what of the elf who claims to be a dragon?”

Gandalf shifted nervously, “I did not know about her powers when I first asked her to join us. I simply thought that she was an elf who had made a name for her self as a dragon slayer. She had a strange and powerful energy to her but never in all of my years would I have believed that we had a dragon walking among us.”

Elrond gave a sigh, “This is not the first time we have had Dovahkiin in our halls though I certainly wished it would have been the last. Surely you remember the group 'Od Kendov' that came with Istilrína? I would have banished them from our halls if she were not with them for their ridiculous request to build on our land.”

Gandalf froze at Elrond’s statement, “Surely you don’t think…?”

“I cannot say for certainty but you must be careful traveling with her. She does not seem to remember anything from here though memories might start to come back and we cannot be certain how she’ll react.” Elrond responded and both figures walked beyond her hearing.

Refridís’ interest was definitely peaked as they continued to talk about this Istilrina and other Dovahkiin. Perhaps she was not too far off from her theory of picking up fragments of memories and Elrond definitely knew something about her past. She carefully dropped down from the shelf, book entirely forgotten as she hurried to her room. She planned on staying locked away until Elrond came to check on her arm but her stomach had other plans, obviously unfulfilled from that morning’s meal.

With a groan she got up, mind set on finding the dwarves again as they probably would have found food that they actually liked using their resourcefulness. Remembering their joyful song at breakfast, she dug through her enchanted pouch and pulled out her lute.

To her surprise, there was no guard posted at her door when she left and with the ruckus that dwarves were making, she had no problem finding them. She turned the corner just in time to watch Bofur throw a sausage at Bombur and the table, which the ginger dwarf was sitting on, collapse under the weight.

“Mind if I join you all?” The Bosmer asked, laughing along with the dwarves at what just happened.

“Why of course! Though we expected you would have preferred the company of elves though seeing as they are your kin,” Dori replied.

Refridís snorted as she sat down close to the fire and began playing a gentle song on her lute, tuning it when a note sounded wrong, “Quite the opposite. They remind me too much of the High Elves of my home.”

The company seemed taken back from her statement so she explained a little further, “Not all elves get along in Skyrim. The Altmer believe themselves to be superior to all other races in Tamriel and often take actions to prove it. It was not uncommon in the old days for a squadron of High Elves to march into Valenwood and slaughter an entire town of Wood Elves in order to remind others of their status. Plus, nearly all High Elves I’ve met are the snobbiest, self-centered people I know.

This is not to say that I’ve seen that behavior here. It is probably just old prejudices playing in my mind but the way that the elves here hold themselves sets me on edge,” she finished.

The dwarves nodded among themselves, some smiling at the fact that an elf would rather be with them then their kin.

“You have a lute,” Fíli said matter-of-factly, “do you know any songs?”

Refridís smiled, “I am unfamiliar with the songs here but I know many in my homeland.”

“Why don’t you play us one? I’m sure all of us would like to hear one,” Bofur asked.

Refridís thought for a moment looking down at the instrument in her hand, thinking of what would be good to play. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Kíli smoking a pipe and watching her expectedly.

“I feel as if this will be a rather fitting song for our journey,” she said as she strummed the beginning notes,

_Alduin’s wings, they did darken the sky,_

_His roar fury’s fire, and his scales sharpened scythes._

_Men ran and they cowered, and they fought and they died._

_They burned and they bled as they issued their cries._

_Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin, wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!_

_Ahrk fin norok paal graan fodnust hon zindro zaan, Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu drall!_

_We need saviors to free us from Alduin’s rage,_

_Heroes on the field of this new war to wage._

_And if Alduin wins, man is gone from this world._

_Lost in the shadow of the black wings unfurled._

_But then came the Tongues on that terrible day._

_Steadfast as winter, they entered the fray._

_And all heard the music of Alduin’s doom,_

_The sweet song of Skyrim, sky-shattering Thu’um_

_And so the Tongues freed us from Alduin’s rage,_

_Gave the gift of the Voice, ushered in a new Age!_

_And if Alduin’s eternal, then eternity’s done_

_For his story is over and the dragon is gone._

 

The dwarves cheered at the end and began to pull out some of their own instruments. It was in this way that Refridís spent her time until the early hours in the morning, the voices and songs of both dwarves and elf mixing together until she excused herself to get some rest. She would need it for that evening’s summoning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this slightly fillery chapter and I promise that the pacing will pick up for the next one (oh the plans I have).  
> Please review, favorite, and follow if you enjoy the story so far or if you have any questions or comments let me know! While I’m not sure that it’s 100% accurate I took the names of Refridís’ swords from a Quenya-English dictionary. Also the version of the Tales of Tongues that Refridís’ sings is from Malukah, whom I like to imagine is what Refridís’ singing voice sounds like. I would give her a look because her covers of Skyrim’s songs (and others) are absolutely beautiful! The Dovahzul used in the song is simply the first two lines of Dragonborn (or Skyrim’s Main Theme). Od Kendov means ‘Snow Warriors’, a fitting name for a group of Nords but whatever is a group of Nords doing in Middle-Earth, much less Rivendell? You’ll all just have to wait and see! :)  
> Hope you all have fun and stay safe until the next chapter~


	14. Shadow of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Honestly sorry this is so late, I know that I’m starting to sound like a broken record but there was very little time for me to research and write this (I’m tempting fate writing this now since I have two 10-paged research papers due by the end of this week). I found out that two of my back-to-back classes were cancelled so I wrote this chapter as quickly as I could so I apologize for any grammar errors. Also we finally hit 100 reviews and over 15,000 views?!?? You guys are excellent and all deserve a pat on the back. Seriously, this story would not be as much fun to write if I didn’t have your support. Thanks to ww1990ww, Ny’Kle, DecrepitSoul, SparksofBravery, AngelMousyMouse Rhettbutler(aka Victor), and Bur Bur for their reviews as well as those who read silently, follow, favorite and a hearty welcome to those new to the story.
> 
> Question Time:  
> Ww1990ww: I’m taking some artistic freedom with some of the little things so sorry if everything doesn’t fit the canon of both universes. Also, please excuse my lack of pre-hobbit knowledge as I have not read The Simarillion nor anything else with the exception of LOTR.  
> To Victor: Yeah I told the dude off and now it’s him trying to avoid me (its great to be honest). I will take that into knowledge but lets just say that while Refridís is generally open-minded she does hold on to certain aspects of the past. Durnehviir will not be making an appearance unfortunately since I think I’m already pushing the envelope with one Skyrim dragon and also because it took Odahviing a little over a week to fly from Tamriel to Middle-Earth (its just not productive if help comes one week late), sorry. Nothing from before the execution can really be said or explained since not even Refridís remembered or could find anything about. I can’t say much else without giving away spoilers :)  
> To everyone else: I am so glad that you all enjoyed that last chapter despite it being filler-ish. We are definitely moving the plot on with this chapter though!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!  
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

_The gentle padding of barefeet as it struggled to keep up with the long strides of booted ones echoed around the halls._

_“Ada!” The young girl cried, “It’s too far and you are going too fast! Can you please carry me?”_

_The Bosmer paused before looking down at the pouting child, “How else will you grow strong legs if you are carried everywhere? You know you will be too big to pick up soon!”_

_“Adad! Pleeeease?” The little elfling begged, tears spilling over on her face as she covered them with her hands, her voice hiccupping in distress._

_The Bosmer sighed knowing that this was a battle that he would not win as he picked up the crying child, “Alright now, no more tears please? A pretty face like yours should have no reason to cry.”_

_The girl sniffed wiping her face with the long sleeve of her dress before curling up against her father’s chest, “Okay…”_

_Their walk was relatively quiet, the only sound being footsteps and the occasional greeting from her father when they passed others. They soon reached an open garden filled with different plants where many elves were spending their time, some reading, some talking, and some singing. As they walked further into the flowery scene, a voice like rain hitting crystal floated through the air._

_The child immediately perked up and begin struggling, “Put me down!”_

_“Commanding little one aren't you,” the Bosmer said as he gently lowered the elfling before holding her hand, “Come now, your Nana will be worrying about you.”_

_They walked the twisting path until it ended in the middle of the garden, a small but highly decorated pavilion made of polished white stone at its center where three figures were speaking._

_Nana!” the child cried._

_One of the figures turned towards the voice, a dark skinned female elf with white freckles on her face as if the night sky made her skin, her hair shimmering like starlight and eyes emeralds of the deepest green._

* * *

 

A stray sunray hit Refridís directly on her closed eyes announcing that the morning had arrived and rousing her from her dream. Exhausted from last night’s festivities with the dwarves, she was partially tempted to stay in the comfortable bed until she was needed. Sitting up with a groan, she stretched until her bones popped and blinked away the sleepiness that threatened to make her curl back up under the blankets and go back to sleep. The floor was cold when she set foot on it, making her shiver slightly as she made her way to the bathing room.

Once there, the Bosmer carefully unraveled the now soiled bandaged and frowned when there was no trace of any injury except for lightly colored scars that took the place of where she was bit.

_“There is no way that herbs can heal an injury this quickly,”_ Refridís thought, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach, _“It must be the souls doing. Their effects are becoming more and more visible with each Thu’um. How long before I…? No, I mustn’t think that way.”_

Refridís took off her nightgown, undid her ruined braids, and dipped herself into the baths, inhaling deeply the faint floral steam that floated in the room. Free from her bandages, she held her breath and ducked down into the water. A sense of calm filled her when the outside sounds were muted and the warmth cradled her form. The feeling of floating eased her mind of the troubling thoughts and allowed her to think of happier times, when things were not so complicated and she was ignorant of the curse’s affect. The image of the beautiful elf from her dreams floated to the forefront, the gentle smile that was on her face when she caught sight of the child sending waves of warmth across her body.

She stayed under for as long as she dared before she broke the surface again, her daydream floating away with the rivulets of liquid running down her hair and scales.

Taking a new vial, one she found to smell of lavender, and poured a little into the water.  She took her time to lather herself clean, both hands now being useable and her previous bath having been quick due to her tiredness. Afterwards, she spent a while just relaxing in the warm waters as the sun rose higher and higher, streams of light dancing in between the clouds of steam, before getting out and drying herself off.

When it was time to get dressed, Refridís was faced with a dilemma. The blue dress still sat folded and unworn on the chair next to the bed but with what was happening that evening she would prefer to be wearing something that would allow for easy movement in case something went wrong, and considering her luck it would. However, the red tunic and pants were stained with food and smelled of sweat from yesterday’s events. Frowning in disgust, she slid into the gown and was pleasantly surprised when it fit her rather well compared to the nightgown she had worn for the last two nights and was loose enough for some flexibility. The neckline stopped just below her chin covering the entirety of her shoulders and chest making the scales impossible to be seen and the sleeves stopped at her wrist unlike the flowy ones that she had seen others wearing. It was midmorning by the time she left her room, hair dried, brushed, braided and her enchanted pouch and swords strapped to her belt.

* * *

 

She made her way to the training field and found several of the dwarves had already begun their day by sparring. She walked around the field’s perimeter until she reached Ori, who was sitting on a bench, nose deep in the journal he carried around. She peaked over his shoulder and saw that he was drawing the buildings of Rivendell. Sitting down quietly next to the young dwarf, making sure not to distract him, she watched as he began drawing the details on an arch.

“That’s slightly more rounded,” she said softly to him, making the dwarf flinch when he realized his watcher, “sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Your art is beautiful. I was wondering, what were you doing when I was telling the story of my escape yesterday?”

Ori looked up shyly, “I’m recording all of the events of our travels so that maybe one day I can tell them to others. It would only make sense to write down your story since you are part of the company as well.”

Refridís was surprised and touched at the fact that he thought of her as an official part of the company rather than an elf who was just along for the quest.

“I have something that might be of interest to you then,” the Bosmer said with a smile as she pulled out her own journal, “In this I have the descriptions and observations of dragons and my homeland. I’m sure you will find it to be an enjoyable read.”

Ori looked up at her with shock and it took a nod of affirmation from the wood elf before he took it from her with the gentlest touch she had ever seen from the dwarves so far, almost as if it were made of fragile glass that would shatter with the slightest movements.

“Thank you, I will be sure to treat it with care,” the dwarf said as he began looking through the writings and illustrations.

“I don’t doubt it. I’m sure that my journal is in excellent hands and will return undamaged,” Refridís said as she got up, spotting Bilbo as he entered and wishing to get started on his training right away.

The Bosmer wanted to start teaching him how to avoid fire attacks but she was still recovering her magicka. Instead she decided to focus on his sword skills, making him do some exercises that he had learned the day before as warm ups and was pleased to see that even though he still had much to learn, he was slightly better than before. It was when they started on new moves that he once again fell back into his old awkward, sharp movements. An hour into the training and it seemed as if Bilbo had had enough.

“Stop, stop, stop. You are locking up your elbow, the movement will never be smooth if you continue like that,” Refridís patiently corrected as she walked up to the hobbit in order to manually correct his posture again.

“What’s the point of this? Its not like I will ever be a good swordsman. I doubt that I will even be a decent one!” Bilbo said in frustration as he slumped his shoulders.

Refridís kneeled down to his level, placed a hand on his head and gently spoke, “That is the root of all your problems. You lack confidence in your own abilities. Where is the hobbit that proudly spoke of his skills at Conkers?”

“Back home making afternoon tea rather than standing on Elvish training field,” Bilbo said glumly.

The Bosmer let out a tired sigh before standing up and walking away.

“Wh-what? Where are you going?” the Halfling exclaimed as he chased after her, making several of the dwarves look up from their activities.

With a voice like frost, Refridís replied, “I do not help those who do not wish to help themselves. I am homesick as well my friend but I do not allow that to affect my abilities here. Talk to me about training once your confidence comes back from tea as trying to train you now is like trying to train a skeever not to bite.”

* * *

 

Refridís found herself back in her room, her eyes shut as she quietly meditated away her agitation and listened to the birdsong that floated through the open window and the rustle of wind through the leaves. A soft knock on the door sounded out and she mumbled for them to come in.

The footfalls were too heavy to be that of an elf or of Bilbo so she waited quietly for which ever dwarf it was to come into view or to speak out so that she could recognize them.

“You weren’t at lunch,” she heard the voice who she immediately connected to Kíli speak out, “some of us were worried that you had stormed off to parts unknown.”

Refridís let out a sigh and opened her eyes to look at him. He was dressed differently, in Elvish style clothing so she guessed that his traveling clothes had been taken to be washed. To be quiet honest he looked rather attractive in it though she preferred him in his usual Dwarven outfit.

_“No. I prefer him in neither,”_ she scolded herself mentally.

“Helloooo, Refridís? Are you there?” Kíli asked, waving his hands in front of her.

“What? Yes, yes sorry. Nice shirt by the way,” the Bosmer teased.

Kíli huffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms, “Yes, well they took away our clothes and left us nothing but these flimsy garbs. You can guess what Thorin’s reaction was when he found out. I see that they got you as well.”

“Not my favorite kind of clothing I admit but I’ve had worse,” she responded standing up and straightening the wrinkles that had formed from her position.

“Really? You look nice in it,” Kíli said thoughtlessly before clapping a hand over his mouth and turning a slight red.

Refridís raised an eyebrow at him in surprise before she felt a mischievous thought cross her mind. She weighed the consequences and found her trick to be worth the price.

“Really…,” she purred as she walked around him slowly, “you find a silly little wood elf like me attractive in this?”

“Th-That’s not what I said!” the raven-haired archer said, muffled by his hands and face turning brighter.

“Oh? But it is what you meant, is it not?” she whispered behind him, right next to his ear making him yelp and jump away, “you know, I was thinking about a certain… event that happened yesterday morning.”

“You were?” Kíli squeaked stepping backwards as Refridís approached him.

“Mm yes. Shame you ducked under the water so quickly,” the Bosmer said as she backed him up against a wall and gave him a sultry smile while leaning towards his face, “Such a shame that my duty calls me.”

Kíli was breathing panicked but had squeezed his eyes shut to prepare for what he was sure to be a kiss from the female elf in front of him and so was entirely surprised when she pulled away and started walking towards the exit.

“W-wait what?” Kíli sputtered, trying to regain control of his emotions that had spiraled out of control.

“I will see you tonight with the rest of the company! I’ll be sure to bring the lute along as well since you all seemed to enjoy my songs,” Refridís called back in a cheerful tone, acting as if absolutely nothing had happened between them.

Kíli was left by himself in the room trying to make sense of what had just happened. A barrage of emotions tumbled through his head. Embarrassment, anger, disappointment.

_“Wait, disappointment? Its not like I wanted to kiss her anyways,”_ Kíli thought to himself as he stormed out of the Bosmer’s room, beet red and knowing full well that he was lying to himself.

He had wanted to kiss her. Wanted it so badly that he had forgotten that she was an elf. Forgotten that she was a dragon born in the form of an elf. Which brought him back to why he originally had come to her room in the first place. The dwarf wanted to learn more about her and what affected her. He was happy that she trusted him enough to let him know about her secrets but also shivered at the thought of how close he was to death on the plains. Most of all, he just wanted to help her.

He spotted the swish of a blue gown from around the corner and rushed to catch up with the elusive elf. She was walking down the hall humming a tune that he recognized to be from one of the songs from the other night.

“That was very rude of you, you know?” Kíli grumbled as he jogged up beside her.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Refridís said as she looked down at her companion with a cheeky grin.

Kíli playfully punched at her arm before realizing that it was the one the warg bit.  He gave her a look of panic and was about to apologize profusely before Refridís began laughing.

“Relax,” she said in between her mirth, “It’s already healed up. One of the few perks of having dragons blood, very fast recovery.”

“That’s actually what I came to your room to talk to you about. Before… you know…” Kíli responded.

“I released my feminine charms on you?”

“Yes, lets just call it that. Why did you do that anyways?” Kíli asked.

Refridís shrugged before saying, “It was an opportune moment, and I found it funny. I will answer what I can and what I feel like isn’t too personal. What would you like to know?”

“You have a very strange sense of humor. Anyways how far do your dragon powers go? I know you can breathe fire but can you also fly? What caused you to get out of that state and are there certain instances where use of your power doesn’t make you go there? How long-” Kíli rattled off before being interrupted.

“One question at a time _dilfahliil_!” Refridís said, “This is not a topic that I talk to others about very often for reasons you can guess. I can breathe fire but can also breathe ice, forcefully push others away, bend wills, and much more. I cannot fly as I do not have wings, a fact that Odahviing teases me about every now and then, but I do have other physical marks.”

Kíli looked up at her in confusion, “Marks?”

Refridís rubbed her shoulder, “Yes, marks. Scales which spread with every Thu’um making me more draconic than mortal. And no, I have found no such instances were their use does not affect me. As for getting out of that state, Odahviing simply trapped me until I got out of it myself. When I was with my husband, it was him who would comfort me and help me fight it back while insuring I didn’t hurt others,” the Bosmer finished with a somber look as she readjusted the sleeve to cover the scales.

Kíli suddenly stopped which made Refridís look back in confusion.

“You have a husband?” Kíli asked.

“Had. Had a husband. He died of old age centuries ago. I would be too but my situation forces me to stay alive,” Refridís answered.

Kíli gave her a questioning gaze, “I thought elves were naturally immortal?”

Refridís looked at him sharply, “What?”

“They are in Middle-Earth,” Kíli continued to explain, “from what I’ve heard anyways.”

The wood elf was quiet for a moment before fury began to burn in her eyes, “You mean to tell me that should we have been born here we wouldn’t have been separated by death?”

“I’m not sure about that. I don’t know specifics about elves but I know that they can die in battle. What I know is from what I’ve been told by others and you know that dwarves are not exactly the most unbiased of opinions when it comes to elves,” Kíli said, stepping away slightly.

Refridís gave a growl walking up to the balcony that opened up to the air and gripped the railing so hard that her knuckles turned white and the stone began cracking. She glared towards the sky and spitefully whispered, “This is how you repay me for all I’ve done? I saved this damned world on more than one occasion but you could not even let me have my happiness. With all the power you Divines claim to have, you could not even spare one life when the ones here bask in it.”

“Refridís?” Kíli asked with apprehension.

“I need to go,” Refridís muttered as she turned away and began to stalk down the hall with a brisk pace that Kíli struggled to keep up with, “I need to prepare for a summoning that will allow us to read the message hidden in the map.”

Kíli slowed down slightly, “Do you need help?”

The wood elf paused and turned towards him. Kíli saw that there were tears in her eyes and that she seemed to barely be holding back rage.

“Thank you for volunteering but no. This is something I need to do on my own.” Refridís said, closing her eyes and swallowing thickly, trying to hold back the pain and anger.

Kíli walked up to Refridís and gently reached up to put his hand on her shoulder, “If you need to talk to somebody, I’m here. You don’t have to hide things from me. I am your friend and I want to help you.”

Refridís gave a shuddering sigh and nodded slightly, “Thank you. It’s been many years since someone has offered to do so.”

Kíli gave her a comforting smile, patting her shoulder slightly before stepping away, “It’s not a problem. I will let you be on your way but we will be expecting you later tonight. Nori found a way to sneak into the kitchens so we are expecting to have a feast. The food that they serve here for meals isn’t quite filling for a dwarf.”

“And neither for this elf,” Refridís said with a small laugh, having regained her composure enough to joke with the young archer, “not a big fan of greens since the Bosmer are mostly carnivorous. Make sure Bombur leaves a plate for me.”

Kíli flashed her a grin before beginning to walk back the way they came, “Won’t make any promises about that!”

Refridís shook her head in amusement and walked to the end of the hall where she asked a guard on duty where she could find Lord Elrond.

The pain that had settled in her heart when Faendal had died had in not disappeared, only dulled with time, but the knowledge that these elves were capable of being with their loved ones without worry of old age separating them made the grief come back almost as strong. But Kíli’s words echoed in her mind and gave her comfort. It had indeed been a long time since someone had offered to help her personally as it was usually the other way round with the Bosmer helping those in need. It had been mostly her and Odahviing for a greater majority of years since their friends and allies had more important jobs to do in order to keep the peace in Skyrim between different races and creatures.

_“Well if K_ _í_ _li wishes to help me then I will do everything in my power to help him and the Company succeed,”_ Refridís thought to herself as she knocked on Lord Elrond’s quarters.

A muffled “come in” reached her and she entered. The room was incredibly spacious with many books and papers piled up on a desk that the elven lord was sitting at writing. He looked up when Refridís entered and set his quill down and moving the paper he was writing on aside.

“Hello Refridís, what brings you here?” Elrond asked as she sat down across from him.

Refridís stared at him for a while, trying to discern anything that might slip before asking “You are hiding something from me.”

Immediately, a guarded expression took over his face before saying, “What do you mean?”

“I’ve had dreams since I’ve gotten here, not exactly clear but… fragments of what feel like memories,” Refridís started, her face screwed in concentration as she tried to recall what she had remembered, “I… I think I was in Rivendell. There was a young girl and her father, definitely of Bosmeri descent… and Nords who spoke of carrying out Akatosh’s will from visions the Bosmer was having. And then we were in a garden, you and Lindir were there and… and the most beautiful elf I ever saw. Her hair like starlight on a moonless night and eyes like a pool of leaves…” Refridís glanced up to see that Elrond had a sad look in his eyes, “You know who she is.”

The elf lord gave a sigh, his face seeming to age right before her until he looked up, “Yes I know her. She was a very dear friend of mine and the reason why those others were allowed to stay in Rivendell. The “Od Kendov” they called themselves, said that they were there to carry out a mission sent to them by their gods. I would have had them banished right at that moment had she not stepped out and convinced me that it would be for the betterment of all who lived in Middle-Earth.

“I cannot say anymore out of fear that it will do more harm than good but you are correct. They are memories… your memories, and you must recover them in your own time” Elrond announced taking in the smaller elf’s hands into his own, his voice taking a fatherly tone, “I do not know what caused you to loose them but I know that you being here is making them return. I can only hope that you find what you are looking for.”

Refridís responded, “But… how can they be mine? I am a Bosmer from Valenwood. These memories are too old to be mine.”

Elrond shook his head, “ You may have Bosmer in you but the blood of the children of Iluvatar runs in you veins as well.”

Refridís was quiet, taking in this information before standing up, “Thank you for speaking to me. I… I have a lot to think about.”

She quickly rushed out of the room leaving Elrond to stare after her form, “Oh Istilrina… if only you could see how much she has grown…”

* * *

 

The sun of the longest day of the year had began to set in the horizon and night was quickly approaching with the nearly full moon shining intermittently between the clouds. Everyone who was at the meeting when Elrond first read the map had arrived to an unrailed overhang with a crystal table that Refridís thought to be made of quartz or moonstone.

“Now what?” Thorin asked, looking expectantly at the quiet Bosmer.

“Now I summon who we need,” Refridís responded, shaking her thoughts before kneeling to the floor and pulling out several ingredients she would need and an old relic, “I must warn you now that who I am summoning is normally perceived to be good by many people but to call them good or evil is against the very nature of their kind. Expect anything to happen since this is not the day in which their power is strongest. During the spell I must absolutely, under no circumstances, be distracted or else there could be unforeseen circumstances. There is a reason why I told you to bring your weapons with you.”

“So what you are doing is very dangerous,” Elrond clarified, the tone in his voice that made her want to do the ritual quickly in case he changed his mind.

“Very,” Refridís said setting down the star-shaped relic in front of her and surrounding it with roses she had collected from the garden of her memories that she found, “if I open the summoning portal to the wrong place, I could be inviting an entire army by accident. Luckily you have me and not some half-brained cultist doing this.”

Refridís pulled out her ebony dagger and sliced her hand with a hiss, dripping her blood on the rose petals before pulling out an object from her pack that made the others startled.

“Is… is that-“ Bilbo whispered.

“A heart? Yes. Specifically the heart of a Dremora warrior from the Planes of Oblivion, the place where our ally makes their home,” Refridís answered as she placed it above the center of the relic unbidden and stood up, “now I will need silence for the spell and ask you not to speak when they are here. The less they know of you and of Middle-Earth the better it will be for everyone for even a whisper of who you are could bring unnecessary trouble.”

The Bosmer held a yellow rose in one hand and a black one in the other and began to speak softly in a language no one else had heard with her eyes closed. The star relic began to gleam slightly in the light as both the dying sun and the rising moon struck it at the same time, making it give off an eerie blue color that seemed to be collecting around the heart. Suddenly, the collection of light burst outwards, temporarily blinding those present but Refridís continued on with her chanting making the now large circle of light pulse.

However, those in her company knew something was terribly wrong when the gentle blue portal suddenly turned a crackling red and Refridís cried out in pain slightly. She turned towards them still muttering the incantation but with her eyes glanced at their weapons. Gandalf quickly ushered Bilbo into the protection of the cavern they went through in order to reach the balcony.

They pulled them out just in time to hear a deep, guttural voice call out, “ _I can smell your fear!”_

Out of the portal jumped a black-skinned creature with red war paint on its face, curved horns, and armor that glowed a menacing red brandishing a greatsword of a similar make.

“TAKE IT DOWN OR KEEP IT BUSY!” Refridís yelled at them as she wrangled control with the unstable portal making it turn into a myriad of colors.

Thorin gave out a war cry as they began to fight with the Dremora that had managed to get through, slashing the creature with Orcrist. Due to it’s thick armor, it did not go down as easily as expected but they had the advantage of numbers and the Dremora was immediately having a lot of trouble keeping up with the multiple skilled attacks that it was actually being pushed back towards the cliff’s edge. It gave a snarl when it realized that there was no way it was going to win the fight and began to attack erratically, trying its best to bring down one of them before it could be brought down. The fighters were forced to take defensive maneuvers as the creature of Oblivion bared down upon them.

Fortunately, the frantic attempt was in vain as Elrond disarmed him, making the greatsword skitter over the edge, and Gandalf sliced its throat interrupting the scream of frustration. The Dremora dropped down to the floor with a solid thud and turned to ash.

The attention turned towards Refridís who seemed to be having trouble standing, legs shaking with effort as she called out her spell. There was a final blast of golden light before a creature of indescribable beauty stepped out of the portal.

Her hair was golden, a crown of roses sitting upon her brow and her bronze skin wrapped in fine cloth colored like the pale morning sky.

“Why do you summon me outside of Hogithum, Champion?” the beautiful creature asked.

“Oh, Azura,” Refridís said breathless from exertion as she kneeled respectfully on one knee, “forgive me Prince of Dusk and Dawn, Mother of the Rose, Lady of Twilight and Queen of the Night Sky. I am in dire need of assistance and have summoned you to humbly call in a favor given to me when your Star was purified.”

Azura was quiet for a moment before glancing with eyes like suns towards Thorin and the others who watched with guarded expressions, weapons ready in case things went wrong.

“Lower your arms, mortal weapons will not harm me,” Azura ordered while she gestured for Refridís to stand, “Tell me, my Champion, who are these people and what can be so serious that I must be summoned.”

Refridís swallowed slightly with nervousness, “I understand that you have great power over the moon and its phases. We are in desperate need of a crescent moon in order to read a message hidden within the map of my ally Thorin Oakenshield.”

The Daedric Prince gave her a scornful look, laughing while saying, “I do have the power to give you what you seek but you must be joking if you believe that I will help the Dwemer. I am sorry my Champion, but this is not a favor that I will do.”

Refridís looked towards the company who was behind her and saw that Thorin’s face was filled with anger that they were being turned away once again because of his people’s race but his eyes spoke of great sorrow. The Bosmer thought of him and the others, the disappointment and crestfallen looks they would give when they were informed that they could not return home. Of Kíli, who wished more than anything to see the halls of his forefathers.

“I will give you a soul,” Refridís said, stopping the Prince’s tittering laugh.

Azura looked at her like a mother would look at a child who had disappointed her, “You know I have no interest in mortal souls and even if I did, I could get one any time I wanted.”

“You know what I mean,” Refridís countered, giving Azura a pointed look, “an immortal soul for a crescent moon. That is enough to cover your dislike.”

Azura gave her a thoughtful look, switching her gaze between the elf in front of her and those who accompanied her, seeming to weigh if it would be worth her intervention, “It will be done. But be warned that it is very temporary, ten minutes at the most. Such a large action needs a lot of power and could potentially do great harm if done for a long period of time.”

“That will be more than enough time I believe, thank you for your graciousness,” Refridís said, bowing to her but frowning when Azura held out her hand, “I am sorry for saying this but the action will be done before the payment. There have been one too many instances when I have been taken advantage of by a Daedra.”

The beautiful prince gave a sigh before turning towards the night sky. She raised her hands up and spoke in the same language as Refridís had for her summoning. Shadow flowed from her hands, crawling towards the night sky and before their very eyes the moon started to quickly decline in fullness until it was a perfect crescent.

“And now for my payment,” Azura said with a smile reaching out.

Refridís nodded and with her hand covered the space over her heart. The area seemed to glow and slowly the Bosmer pulled her hand away, strangled screams of pain escaping her mouth as she tried desperately to keep them in and blood dripping from her nose and mouth. Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell down to her knees, cradling in her hand an erratically moving ball of energy.

“I thank you for your patronage and cannot wait to do business with you again,” Azura said as she took the ball and kissed Refridís gently on the forehead, healing her injuries before disappearing into the portal, snapping it shut behind her.

A moment of silence passed through them before Refridís wiped the blood away on the sleeve of the blue dress and stood up looking towards the rest of those there, asking, “Well? What are you waiting for? I don’t think I will be able to do that again for a very long time so I suggest you do what you need to do before we run out of time. We can discuss what happened later.”

Elrond nodded towards her and walked forward, laying down and unrolling the old parchment on to the crystalline table. As the rays of the now crescent moon hit the table, it shone with light that flowed through the map and ancient runes slowly became visible.

“Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last night of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole,” Elrond said, reading the text out loud.

“Durin’s Day?” Bilbo asked, having rejoined the company after the Dremora had first been dispatched.

Gandalf clarified, “It is the start of the dwarves’ new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together.”

“This is ill news,” Thorin said to Balin, “Summer is passing. Durin’s Day will soon be upon us.”

“Time? For what?” Bilbo asked, wondering what was the significance of the riddle.

Balin looked at Bilbo and then to Thorin, “To find the entrance. We have to be standing at the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened.”

“So this is your purpose?” Elrond asked, “To enter the Mountain?”

_“You already guessed what our purpose was a long time ago,”_ Refridís thought to herself.

“What of it?” Thorin asked, standing straight and daring the elf to try and stop them.

Elrond looked at both Thorin and Gandalf, “There are some who would not deem it wise.”

Thorin gruffly snatched the map out of Elrond’s hand and Gandalf asked, “Who do you mean?”

Elrond began to walk back towards the cave that connected to the main part of Rivendell, “You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth.”

The small part of the company that was present looked towards Gandalf with questioning gazes.

“I suggest that we make our way out of Rivendell,” the Grey Wizard advised, “We have what we came for and they will most certainly try to stop our journey to Erebor. You need to move on tonight while I speak with Lord Elrond about some other issues.”

“You will not join us?” Refridís questioned while placing Azura’s Star back into her pack and burning away the roses with a tiny amount of magic that she managed to recover.

“If you leave today I will be able to catch up to you while you are crossing the Misty Mountains,” Gandalf answered turning towards Thorin, “Wait for me on the other side.”

Thorin nodded and it came into agreement that they would leave before the first light of dawn touched the sky the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that relatively packed chapter! I did a lot of research whenever I could to bring you a more accurate story and I hope that it shows. We will be once again following the storyline for the next couple of chapters and might be done with the first movie by the end of this year (hopefully, fingers crossed). Please tell me if character interaction is believable since I think I’m starting to get into stuff that’s a little OOC (if so I will try to fix it ;) )  
> Thank you all for reading and leave a comment, review or question that will be answered to the best of my abilities next chapter~


	15. Into the Wild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> Wooo! Guess who finished their first semester?!!?! Honestly, I’m so glad that it’s done. Finals were surprisingly easy and I don’t understand why people make such a big deal about how difficult it is but I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m a freshmen and haven’t really been hit with difficult work. Anyways I’m out of college until January so expect more frequent updates but not necessarily once a week, I still have to do volunteer work in order to keep my scholarship ;) Oh and also, I bought and finished Shadows of Mordor, it was pretty enjoyable and interesting storywise but it’s glitchy as hell (I bought the PS3 version since I’m too broke to buy as PS4). Overall it would have been excellent as a standalone game but was made more enjoyable by the already established Tolkienverse.  
> This chapter was an absolute pain in the ass to write! I could not write more than two or three paragraphs at a time before I became stuck with how I wanted the pacing to go. I want to get to the fast-paced important movie/book stuff but I also want character development and its just frustrating being caught between two speeds!  
> A big thank you to reviewers Ny’kle, Mister Cuddlesworth, ww1990ww, bur bur, Rhettbutler, Guest, and Guestx2! An additional thanks to all my lovely followers and favoriters as well as to the silent readers!
> 
> Question Time:  
>  Ny’Kle: Thanks, I’m glad you liked the dragon soul concept!  
> Mister Cuddlesworth: Hello! Hope you continue to enjoy the story as it goes along!  
> Ww1990ww: First of all, I ask that you begin to spellcheck your reviews (its kind of hard to take you seriously sometimes with the spelling). Second of all, I said in my previous chapters that the chambers were not necessarily built during the First Age as Tamriel’s Merethic Era was long enough to coincide with both the First AND Second Age. I checked a map like you said to see the differences and if you are caught up in the change of landmass due to the War of Wrath, need I remind you that Tamriel also had a massive flooding/land change due to Lorkhan’s and Auri-el’s War? Plus, the multiple eruptions of Red Mountain are also significant events to Tamriel’s land structure and we can infer that many chambers were lost, destroyed or buried, like that of Kolbjorn Barrow in Solstheim, since the earthquakes and aftershocks caused by the eruptions were felt all over the continent. I only guess that the reason why many of these barrows continue to exist in the first place is that they are built on one part good ol’ Ancient Nord structural integrity and one part magical energy protecting them due to the fact that they’re several thousands of years old and survived multiple wars/events. Anyways, Daedra meddling always has its consequences regardless if it happens in Tamriel or not. ;)  
> Rhettbutler: Never shorten your reviews, I absolutely love reading long ones! Also, I thank you for that website, really gave me a general idea about the hierarchy of gods/Divines/Valar. Refridís will be having a very different type of meeting with elves since Mirkwood is indeed in the future so there is plenty of time to look into that aspect. I don’t think I’ll be having Gandalf know much about the Daedra though since I think it will just over complicate the story and would need a lot of background explanation on how he knows them (In additon to Daedric Princes, there are lesser Daedra and then their minions and to know/meet up with one specific Daedra is like winning the lottery unless you personally have your own connection like Refridís or catch their attention which usually never ends well).  
> Guest: Oh man, you have no idea about what I’m going to do to our precious little Skyrim dragons…
> 
> That will be all for the questions so here is the next chapter!  
> Characters and Worlds belong to their respective owners (J.R.R. Tolkien and Bethesda). Skyrim OC Refridís belongs to me.

Refridís hurried back to her own room in order to pack for the journey’s continuation. Despite having lost many things on Volkun, her enchanted pouch had more than enough space to accommodate for the extra luggage so she quickly began to organize the items she received from the elves into their proper spots. She was also glad to find her armor folded neatly on her bed and that it had been repaired excellently. She silently commended the elves on their handiwork, pulling the seams slightly to make sure that the stitches wouldn’t break. It only took her a few minutes to pack, previous experience having created a habit of being prepared to run at any possible moment, so the wood elf was left with quite some time before they were scheduled to leave.

_“Hmm, I told K_ _í_ _li that I would be meeting up with him later at the dwarven quarters but as much as I like the dwemer, I have a feeling we will be seeing too much of each other in the coming weeks. I guess I’ll meet up with them a few hours before sunrise, meanwhile I can do more research in the library,”_ Refridís thought to herself as she slipped on her Nightingale chestplate, glad that the dark armor was made for covering up as much skin as possible, _“maybe I should look up medicinal plants? My alchemy ingredients are sure to run out sometimes and it’s good to be prepared just in case… Perhaps even a book on family lines here.”_

She opened her door slowly, checking both sides to ensure no one saw her even though she was allowed to walk freely in Rivendell, before padding quickly and quietly to the massive Elven library. The smell of the old tomes and books hit her as she walked inside and she breathed in deeply. The Bosmer had been quite the collector of stories back home to the point that any book found unruined while traveling or adventuring usually ended up on the shelves of Lakeview Manor and extras sold to merchants or added to the Winterhold’s collection. She even dared to say that Urag gro-Shub, the old Orsimer mage that used to look over the Arcanaeum, had been rather jealous of some of the rarer books she had kept in her personnal collection but would never admit it. Refridís smiled slightly at the memory of the grumpy old orc who would shout at her that “he didn’t care that she was the Archmage he would cut her hands off if he found even one stain or slight scratch on his books!”

_“A pity the Orcs here are so vile and violent, not that there weren’t any Orsimer back home that wouldn’t attack you without cause but at least most of them went out and bettered themselves so that their race could be considered respectable,”_ Refridís thought with a hum.

Refridís was walking amongst what she believed to be books about healing as she could not read the titles of a majority of them when someone spoke to her from behind.

“I believe this is what you are searching for?” A clear, gentle voice said.

Refridís turned around quickly with a small cry of surprise; it had been decades since someone had ever managed to sneak up on her. She was about to give whichever elf it was a scolding but the words were caught in her throat the moment she laid her eyes upon the form that had frightened her.

Refridís would have sworn that she had met the physical form of Mara that day. The figure before her had long hair of radiant gold with stars caught in between, a smile that could lift the spirits of the weary and destitute and a dress so white and pure that it could have opposed the untouched snow of Skyrim. Her beauty was unlike any other she had seen or thought possible and Refridís could feel the powerful thrum of great magic that was captured in her form. As no words came to her mind or out of her mouth, Refridís bowed down low on one knee out of respect for she didn’t know what else to do.

“Rise, Child of Dragons, there is no need for such a display,” the beautiful elf said to her.

Refridís looked up in surprise at the name that she had called her before standing up, “I do not wish to be disrespectful, but could you tell me who you are if you are not one of the Divines incarnate and how do you know who, or rather, what I am?

“I am Galadriel, Lady of Lórien. As for you, _rot wundun gut fod gein grik ol hi los kiin…”_ Galadriel responded with a gentle laugh. { _Word travels far when one such as you is born}_

The Bosmer was taken back once more by the Lady’s words, “ _Hi mindok dovahzul?_ ” {You know dragon’s tongue?}

“Yes, among other things,” Galadriel replied, handing Refridís a book about healing plants that was in Common, “What business do the Dovahkiin have within Middle-Earth?”

Refridís didn’t know what it was about the elf but she felt that if she knew of her true form then she surely should be informed on the reason for why she was there, “My Lady, I have been summoned here by Gandalf in order to assist a company of dwarves in slaying a dragon that plagues their home. My previous experiences with the beasts would prove an invaluable asset for the task, not to mention that my… heritage also helps the cause.”

“It certainly would. Your presence here changes a great many things, if it is for better or for worse we must wait and see. I must warn you however, the power of the dragons within you is not one to be thought of lightly,” Galadriel said.

Refridís looked at the elf in confusion, “I try my best to harness it as carefully as possible. I have learned what not to do so that I do not loose control and only use it if the situation is dire.”

“That is not what I mean. I know of your efforts to try and manage the dragons, and even commend you for what you have done so far, but I am asking for caution,” Galadriel said with a tense smile and a strange look in her eyes, “Beneath the normal dragons, I feel a more malevolent power at play here. I ask that you be vigilant on your journey.”

Refridís was about to ask her what she meant by the statement when Galadriel spoke once again, “I will not keep you from your studies any longer as there is somewhere I must be. It was an honor to meet you Dovahkiin and I hope that we meet again once more in the future.”

Slightly flustered, Refridís bowed her head and responded, “The honor is all mine, Lady Galadriel and I hope for our next meeting as well. Thank you for finding this book for me by the way.”

Refridís turned around to ponder Galadriel’s words and to read her book when the Bosmer heard the Lady sigh softly, “You remind me so much of your mother…”

Startled, Refridís dropped the book and turned around only to find that the beautiful elf had vanished, seemingly into thin air.

“What?” she asked herself with a breathy whisper.

Refridís looked frantically throughout the library, searching for Galadriel but knew in the back of her mind that she would not be found. She placed her book on one of the tables and sat down, her thoughts spinning wildly at all that had been said but the last sentence stuck particularly in her mind.

“ _This is ridiculous, I remind her of my mother? But how? Why do all these elves seem to know who she is? Why does everyone here seem to know more about me than I do?”_ she pounded her fist into the table out of frustration, _“WHY CAN’T I REMEMBER ANYTHING?!”_

“Excuse me miss? Are you alright?”

Refridís looked up to see the concerned face of a male elf and immediately faked a smile and sat up straight, “Yes, yes. Sorry about that! I will be leaving now.”

She quickly stood up and walked past the startled elf not wanting to spend anymore time in the library, carrying the book that Galadriel had given her, “I will be return this book later on _…_ eventually, _”_ she whispered to herself as she tucked it into her pouch.

* * *

 

Refridís was walking down some steps towards where she could hear the festivities of the dwarves under, when she walked in on Bilbo listening intently to a conversation happening on one of the lower levels.

“---I think you can trust that I know what I’m doing,” Gandalf’s voice floated from below.

“Do you? That dragon has slept for 60 years. What would happen if you plan should fail? If you wake that beast?” Elrond’s voice responded.

“Well what if we succeed? If the dwarves take back the mountain, our defenses in the East would be strengthened! Additionally, we have the dragon slayer among us! If the beast should awaken, then she knows the proper way to kill it before it does any terrible harm.”

Bilbo turned around to see that both Refridís and Thorin were listening in on the conversation with him and gave them both a look of surprise before turning back and listening on.

“It is a dangerous move Gandalf, even with Refridís among you. Her mere presence here brings me troubled thoughts,” Elrond replied.

“It is also dangerous to do nothing!” Gandalf responded in an exasperated tone, “The throne of Erebor is Thorin’s birthright. What is it that you fear?”

“Have you forgotten? A strain of madness runs deep in that family,” the was a short pause before the elf lord continued, “His grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall? Gandalf, these decisions do not rest with us alone. It is not up to you or me to redraw the map of Middle-Earth.”

The two walked up a flight of stairs and into a pavilion, far away enough not to hear the rest of the conversation. Refridís looked towards Thorin to see his reaction, curiosity piqued at the mentioned of madness and saw that his face had shame and doubt etched upon it.

“I think it would be best if we go back to the others,” Thorin said before descending down to the others.

Bilbo and Refridís shared a look that promised that neither of them would bring up what they had heard to the others before following their leader.

_“Cursed as well. I wonder how bad it must be if news of it has spread to here,”_ Refridís thought as she walked off the final step.

“There they are!” Bofur said as he twirled a sausage over burning elvish furniture, “We were wondering where you all had gone off to!”

Refridís responded, “Oh, I went to the library to brush up on the healing plants of this area as I’m sure that my own personal stock will run out eventually.”

“Bah! You didn’t need to grab a book from these skinny twigs to learn that! Óin here is our healer and would have happily told you what you needed,” Glóin said, smoke coming from his mouth as he had just taken a puff from his pipe.

Refridís shrugged and sat next to Fíli and Kíli who looked up at her with grins, “Well I already stole the book and I don’t feel like going back to put it in its place,”

Several laughs were shared at her comment before Nori asked, “Since we only have a few hours before leaving why don’t you play some songs to pass the time?”

“Say that a bit louder why don’t you? I don’t think the guards down the hall heard you clearly,” Dori said, giving his brother a quick cuff on the head for speaking so carelessly about their planned escape from the elvish town.

Refridís pulled her lute out of pack when Fíli questioned, “How do you manage to fit that big lute inside such a small pack?”

“It’s enchanted to be able to contain anything that is put in. The only requirement is that you need to have the strength to carry it,” Refridís answered as she strummed the stringed instrument slightly, testing the noise, “Here’s a good song with a story behind it!”

 

_The Bannered Mare is a very good inn, and so is the Dead Man’s Drink,_

_But I know a sign of a wine, a wine that is better when night is darker than ink!_

_It is whiter than Secunda and redder than Masser,_

_For all know that good wines are named after the moons or the stars!_

_When a priest cries that inns like flowers increase,_

_I say that mine inn is a temple likewise, and say to them “Be at peace!”_

_A host may gather at the Ragged Flagon to salve their souls from sin,_

_But the light may be where two or three drink wine in the Drunken Dragon Inn!_

_The Light may be where two or three drink wine from the Drunken Dragon Inn!_

A great cheer sounded from the dwarves as Refridís finished one of the newer drinking songs that had began to make its way around Skyrim. 

“The Drunken Huntsman is an inn I visited often, it changed its name to the Drunken Dragon because they were selling mead and wine so powerful that it could intoxicate a Dovah. From the stories I hear being shared among the city guards, the statement is true,” Refridís told the Company, “Supposedly, a group of drunken adventurers stole a crate of drink, poured it all into a freshly killed deer and dragged it into the food pile of a dragon’s nest while it was out. The dragon came back, hungry, and ate the deer. Next thing they know, the dragon starts stumbling around and can’t take off!”

“I don’t mean to be rude but how do you know it is true and not just a traveler’s tale?” Bofur questioned after calming his mirth.

“… I may or may not have been part of that group of drunk adventurers,” Refridís said with a mischievous smile on her face.

There was a small silence before the roar of laughter sounded from the covered quarters.

* * *

 

_The warm touch of a mother, a gentle kiss on the head. Sun rising… or was it setting? The men, the terrible men. A crack of lightning. Someone was screaming. The sharp smell of the salty sea. More screaming and desperate begging. The sharp smell of blood. The wailing of a child. Restrained, tied down, lurid laughing. The roar of the storm… or something more? Gold wings rose from the water, the crunching of wood and crackling of fire. She was sinking, deeper and colder. Something warm carried her form and a voice like thunder spoke._

**_“I am sorry.”_ **

* * *

 

It was another glorious dawn as the dwarves hiked up the path away from Rivendell and there was a sense of purpose emanating from the Company as they continued along on their journey.

“Be on your guard; we’re about to step over the edge of the Wild,” Thorin announced as he moved away slightly from the trail to let the rest of them through, “Balin, you know these paths; lead on.”

After confirmation from Balin, the dwarves move forward and Refridís who was in the back saw Bilbo turn towards Rivendell with a look of longing on his face.

“Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up.” Thorin said before getting back in line.

Bilbo gave a small sigh as Refridís walked up next to him with an encouraging smile, “Come along Bilbo. The sooner this is done, the sooner you can come back.”

As they turned the corner, Refridís saw the mountains covered in snow. Just the thought of knowing that they were going to travel through the biting cold of icy winds brought her a feeling of excitement to her core. Though the Wood Elves of Valenwood preferred the hot and humid air of their tropical jungle, Refridís loved the fresh and clean scent of winter.

She took a step forward and stumbled, almost letting out a shriek of pain as she felt like she had been stabbed with a hot poker. It seemed that the peaceful sensation that permeated Rivendell had a barrier. And she just crossed it.

A heavy pounding invaded her head as the previously unnoticed muffle of dragons talking in the background came at her in full force with screeches and shouts. She could feel their hatred and loathing of her with every breath and when they realized her moment of weakness, they pounced at it with the ferocity of a sabercat. For a split second, Refridís’ hand moved to push Bilbo off of the high trail they were walking on, her blood singing for sacrifice.

The Bosmer quickly wrangled these feelings and got them under control, holding her hand to her chest in panic. She had lowered her guard and grew angry that she had momentarily forgotten about the intensity of her curse and, as a result, forgotten why she had truly gone on this quest.

_“I am killing this Dovah to break my own curse,”_ Refridís scolded herself mentally, _“It should not matter who or what gets hurt so long as there is one less Dovah in the world and I get closer to my goal.”_

Deep down, Refridís knew that what she said was no longer true. She had gotten heavily attached to the Company, especially to certain members, and would try everything in her power to ensure their safety. She gave a glance towards Bilbo, who was currently grumbling to himself about his early morning wake up, and Kíli, who was chatting animatedly with his brother and who looked back to give her a wink when he caught her stair.

Refridís took a deep breath, _“New goal. Kill the Dovah and make sure everyone survives.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry for the super long wait and the very short chapter but I wanted to get something out as soon as I could. Like I said in the beginning, this chapter just really did not want to be written and I deleted two rather large chunks from it because I hated how it was worded (though one of them might make an appearance next chapter).  
> Question for you all. Would you prefer shorter chapters like this (faster updates but also more filler chapters) or my older longer chapters (slower updates but gets into the action more often)? Please let me know!  
> Also, the drinking song “Drunken Dragon’s Inn” is based off of Alfred Noyes’ song “The Mermaid Inn”.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, favorite, or follow if you like it and any questions asked will be answered next time!


	16. A Rock and a Hard Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted directly from FF.net:
> 
> would like to thank Mister Cuddlesworth, Rhettbutler, lilnudger82, and Ny’Kle for their reviews and to those who followed and favorited as well as my silent readers. You guys are all great and bring me much joy!  
> Also it seems that longer chapters has won the quick poll so I will try my best to bring that to you all in an efficient manner!
> 
> Question Time:  
> Rhettbutler: I will be having other beings know about the Daedra but I’m not sure who it will be. I have some ideas about who it/they could be and why they know but I’m still doing some research to ensure that my change won’t mess things up to badly. There will be some Daedra involvement further down (mostly because of the consequences I mentioned last chapter) but I haven’t planned for anything super major until near the end of the story. Hope you enjoy the movie when it comes out!  
> Lilnudger82: Welcome to the story and glad you like it so far!  
> Ny’Kle: There is a reason for why Galadriel knows Dovahzul. If the Ancient Nords were in ME to build the barrows and word walls, then they would have come into contact with the elves and may even needed to gain permission to build on their lands in return for friendship/allies/trade/whatever (Elrond did say that the only reason why he let the Od Kendov build the barrow in Rivendell was because of Istilrina was with them). Said elves also probably wanted to know what was being written on the word walls to ensure that ‘Elves suck and Men rule’ wasn’t being carved into stones so the Nords shared both their Runes and Dovahzul, maybe saying that the language was sacred to them and reserved only for special occasions. Records were probably written about the languages and Galadriel learned it, seeing as she also knows Khuzdul as shown in LOTR, OR maybe she learned it from the Nords themselves while they were in ME? Maybe they built a barrow/word wall close to Lothlorien? ;)
> 
> If all goes well, I’m thinking that we might finish the ‘An Unexpected Journey’ part of the story either next chapter or the chapter afterwards? Holy shit, we’re already there?
> 
> Everything except for Refridis and tweaks to the storyline do not belong to me!  
> Hope you all enjoy!

Gandalf and Elrond walked up a flight of stairs, unaware that their conversation had been overhead just a few moments ago.

“With or without our help, these dwarves will march on the mountain,” Gandalf said in a frustrated tone towards the Lord of Rivendell, “They are determined to reclaim their homeland. I do not believe Thorin Oakenshield feels that he’s answerable to anyone. Nor for that matter am I.”

Elrond gave him an incredulous glance, “It is not me you must answer to.”

Gandalf looked confused for a moment before turning to where Elrond was staring. In the moonlight, Lady Galadriel turned towards the two and Gandalf took a sharp intake of air while stepping forward.

“Lady Galadriel,” he said in a warm tone.

“Mithrandir,” the silver Lady responded, _“Gwenwin_ _î_ _n_ _ú_ _nodui”_

_“Nae nin gwistant infanneth, mal ú-eichia i Chíril Lorien,”_ Gandalf responded, bowing his head in respect. He was met with a fond smile from Galadriel and continued, “I had no idea Lord Elrond had sent for you.”

The voice that responded caused Gandalf ‘s face to scrunch up like that of a child who had been caught in a lie, “He didn’t. I did.”

The Grey Wizard turned towards the voice and respectfully bowed his head to its owner with a false smile, “Ah, Saruman.”

“You’ve been busy of late, my friend,” Saruman answered.

As dawn broke over the valley, a cool breeze swept the pavilion in which the White Council was holding their meeting. Gandalf had his head resting against his enclosed hands as Saruman recounted what he was told.

“Tell me, Gandalf,” the White Wizard asked after finishing what he knew, “did you think these plans and schemes of yours would go unnoticed?”

Gandalf looked up in surprised and defended himself, “Unnoticed? No, I’m simply doing what I feel to be right.”

“The dragon has long been on your mind,” Galadriel stated.

“This is true, my lady,” Gandalf responded with a nod, “Smaug owes allegiance to no one. But if he should side with the enemy, a dragon could be used to terrible effect. That is why I have brought outside help to rid us of this problem.”

Saruman gave him a confused look and with a scolding tone said, “What enemy? Gandalf, the enemy is defeated. Sauron is vanquished. He can never regain his full strength.”

Gandalf nodded slightly, not for a moment believing his leader’s words, before asking in a lowered tone, “Does it not worry you that the last of the Dwarf-rings should simply vanish along with its bearer? Of the Seven Dwarf-rings, four were consumed by dragons, two were taken by Sauron before he fell in Mordor. The fate of the last Dwarf-ring remains unknown,” a small silence stood in the air before he continued, “The ring that was borne by Thrain.”

Saruman had exasperation in his voice as he said, “The Ruling Ring of Power, the Seven are no value to the Enemy. To control the other Rings, he needs the One. And that Ring was lost long, long ago. It was swept out to sea by the waters of the Anduin.”

“Gandalf,” Elrond said, a small plead in his voice, “For four hundred years, we have lived in peace. A hard-won, watchful peace.”

The Grey Wizard was taken back and responded in a harsher questioning tone, “Are we? Are we at peace? Trolls have come down from the mountains. They are raiding villages, destroying farms. Orcs have attacked us on the road.”

“Hardly a prelude to war,” Elrond answered.

“Always you must meddle, looking for trouble where none exists. For example, this… Dragonborn warrior that I have been informed of. Any creature with such power as hers would certainly be a deadly foe to have if things go sour. How do we not know that you haven’t just invited danger to our doorstep? That she will not betray us by using the power of Smaug to bring death and terror to all those who live upon Middle-Earth?” Saruman asked, waiting expectantly.

“Elrond has already asked that same question. She has pledged her life to ridding the world of the terrible influence of dragons in return for the breaking of a curse placed on her,” Gandalf responded, “From what I have seen, she takes that pledge very seriously.”

“The elvish side of her may be reasonable but what of the draconic part? Does it share the same goals?” Saruman pushed, trying to find fault in his companion’s argument.

“All signs point to her being the daughter of Istilrína,” Elrond said, feeling as if he needed to defend the elleth, “If she is half as strong as her mother, it is not something to worry ourselves with.”

“I cannot speak for that side nor can I speak for her. I have never seen it and she has made no mention of whether it affects her as heavily as we might think. If it does, then she has very good control over it,” Gandalf added on.

Saruman was about to argue when Galadriel interrupted him, “Let him speak.”

“The point is, all these separate instances of trouble means that there is something at work beyond the evil of Smaug. Something far more powerful,” Gandalf said, frustration climbing into his voice, “We can remain blind, but it will not be ignoring us, that I can promise you. A sickness lies over the Greenwood. The woodsmen who live there now call it ‘Mirkwood’. and they say...”

Saruman raised an eyebrow as Gandalf paused, “Well, don’t stop now. Tell us about the woodsmen say.”

“They speak of a Necromancer living in Dol Guldur, a sorcerer who can summon the dead,” Gandalf finished to which Saruman gave a small scoff.

“That’s absurd. No such power exists in the world. This...Necromancer is nothing more than a mortal man. A conjurer dabbling in black magic.”

“And so I thought too. But, Radagast has seen-“ Gandalf started on to be interrupted.

“Radagast?” Saruman questioned before continuing on with a disapproving tone, “Do not speak to me about Radagast the Brown. He is a foolish fellow.”

Gandalf felt slightly offended that his friend was being insulted and came to his defense, “Well, he’s odd, I grant you. He lives a solitary life-”

“Its not that.It’s his excessive consumption of mushrooms. They’ve addled his brain and yellowed his teeth. I warned him, it is unbefitting of the Istari to be wander in the woods...” Saruman rattled off but Gandalf’s attention was held elsewhere.

“You carry something,” Galadriel stated telepathically to the Grey Wizard, “It came to you from Radagast. He found it in Dol Guldur.”

“Yes,” Gandalf responded with a barely visible nod.

“Show me,” the Lady ordered.

Saruman continued to talk as Gandalf lifted the package from his lap and placed it on the table with a dull thud.

“What is that?” Elrond asked reaching out to unwrap it.

“A relic of Mordor,” Galadriel said, a small look of caution on her face, causing Elrond to draw his hand back as if he were about to stick his hand into a fire.

Elrond reached out more carefully, unwrapping the package with great care and exposing a black sword that seemed to exude evil, “A Morgul blade.”

“Made for the Witch-King of Angmar, and buried with him,” Galadriel explained a look of fear, shock, and confusion etched on her face, ”When Angmar fell, men of the North took his body and all that he possessed and sealed it within the High-Fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock they buried them, in a tomb so dark it would never come to light.”

“This is not possible. A powerful spells lies upon those tombs; they cannot be opened,” Elrond said, looking at both Galadriel and Gandalf for reassurance that the statement was true.

Saruman, however, was a little more skeptical, “What proof do we have this weapon came from Angmar’s grave?”

“I have none,” Gandalf sighed.

“Because there is none!” Saruman responded, causing Gandalf to restrain himself from speaking out some rather harsh words and for Galadriel to walk away because his statement made her words seem like a child’s tale, “Let us examine what we know. A single Orc pack has dared to cross the Bruinen. A dagger from a bygone age has been found. And a human sorcerer, who calls himself the Necromancer, has taken up residence in a ruined fortress. It’s not so very much, after all. The question of this dwarvish company and the dragon warrior, however, troubles me deeply. I’m not convinced, Gandalf; I do not feel I can condone such a quest. If they’d come to me, I might have spared them this disappointment and the warrior a trip. I do not pretend to understand your reasons for raising their hopes…”

Galadriel who was overlooking the valley, saw movement and once more spoke to Gandalf telepathically, “They are leaving…”

“Yes,” Gandalf said turning to meet the elf’s eyes.

“You knew.” Galadriel said as she gave him a friendly accusatory look and a small smile.

Gandalf gave her an innocent look; as if he had no idea what she was talking about. At that moment, the council was interrupted as Lindir walked towards them and informed Lord Elrond that the dwarves had gone missing.

* * *

 

Galadriel and Gandalf were the only ones remaining in the pavilion after the meeting broke, the other two having to leave to take care of their own respective businesses.

“You will follow them?” the Lady asked.

“Yes.”

“You are right to help Thorin Oakenshield, but I fear this quest has set in motion forces we do not yet understand. The riddle of the Morgul blade must be answered. Something moves in the shadows, unseen, hidden from our sight. It will not show itself, not yet, but every day it grows in strength. You must be careful.”

“Yes,” Gandalf responded, walking away.

A short distance was passed when Galadriel spoke again, “The Dovahkiin is a strong asset but within her lies another different darkness that threatens to swallow the world. If she is anything like the Od Kendov, she is not just holding back just one dragon soul but rather dozens of them. Tread with caution, this self-control is a razor-thin sword with no grip to safely hold. She can be a force of great good but also terrible evil.”

“You do not believe that I should not have asked her to be here?” Gandalf asked, turning towards Galadriel.

“Some would not take the risk but I trust your judgment Mithrandir,” Galadriel answered before asking, “I must also ask, why the Halfling?”

Gandalf looked slightly troubled before explaining, “I don’t know. Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I’ve found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.”

Galadriel took Gandalf’s old, weary hands in hers and she tucked a loose strand of hair into place, “Do not be afraid, Mithrandir. You are not alone. _Ae boe i le eliathon, im tulithon._ ”

She let go of his hands and when Gandalf looked up, Galadriel had disappeared like a mirage or a dream ended too soon.

* * *

 

 Fíli knew his brother better than anyone else in Middle-Earth and usually could read him like an open book so it was not a surprising fact that he had quickly realized when Kíli started acting a bit strange. He had noticed it first when Kíli and Refridís had made their way out of the forest during their first hunting trip together. His brother’s expression and language were more rigid and guarded, as if he were incredibly stressed out and he would constantly look up in the sky as if he were searching for something and a heavy scowl would settle upon his face when it seemed that he couldn’t find it. He had made no mention of it in camp that night, not wanting others to accidently hear what might have been a private matter.

He did, however, ask Kíli the following morning but was met with complete resistance other than an insistence that Refridís could be trusted. That was when he figured out that something had happened between his younger brother and the wood elf, who was currently chatting quietly with Ori and pointing something out in the old book he was carrying. Fíli had rather liked Refridís since they had first met despite her less than cheery attitude in the beginning but knew that her and Kíli were a completely other story which was why he was suspicious at his brother’s sudden change of heart.

Fíli did not believe for a second that the so-called reason for his brother’s secrecy was because he had fallen out of a tree. Kíli was as sure-footed as a mountain ram and had spent his childhood climbing the trees and pines around Ered Luin, much to both their mother’s and Thorin’s displeasure. It was also after that day that Refridís and Kíli had started to talk to each other more. He would ask what they spoke of during the quiet hours of their night watch but Kíli would simply shake his head and say that they spoke of trivial things, another statement that Fíli knew was a lie the moment it left his brother’s mouth.

It was shortly after leaving Rivendell that he found an opportunity to find out exactly what was going on between them.

The days were long and trudging for the Company as they made their way to the Misty Mountains, their pace quick in order to make up for the time spent in Rivendell and stopping only for the nights, which were quickly becoming frigid the higher they climbed. Bilbo had made quite some progress with his sword training, Refridís taking the opportunity to teach him before dinner each night.

Wilderness surrounded them and they found themselves walking over many different types of terrain. Refridís didn’t mind the quick pace or the constantly changing ground though she did worry for Bilbo as they climbed higher up where the air was colder. She felt joy when she saw that snow began to pattern on the ground.

“From what you’ve told us this must remind you of home,” Kíli asked her as she hummed a merry little tune, in a happier mood than usual due to the dragons having settled down once they realize they weren’t going anywhere and that she wasn’t going to accidentally hurt anyone.

“It does,” Refridís answered with a smile.

“Why don’t you tell us more about there?” Fíli questioned.

“You know, I’ve told you many things about myself and my home yet I do not know much about you or your race. Surely, you have some stories or something you could tell me?” Refridís replied, shifting her bag to a more comfortable position as they went up a steep incline as she desperately wished for her surefooted mount that was back in Skyrim.

She knew that some line had been crossed when sharp suspicious glances began to be turned her way from the rest of the company.

“Well what would you like to know?” Fíli asked cheerfully, either ignoring the looks or not having seen them at all.

“Anything you wish to share to be honest, though I do have a few specific questions if it’s alright?” Refridís responded looking at their faces, “In fact, why not make this fair. I ask one question and in return you ask me one.”

 A bright smile formed on both their mouths, unnerving her slightly with their shared mischief.

“All right then, you first,” Kíli ushered.

“As the only woman in this company that I can see, I feel the need to ask what the females of your race look like as I have never seen dwarves before this journey began,” Refridís responded, curiosity sparking in her eyes.

“Well that is rather easy to answer!” Fíli said with a laugh, “Our women are limited in number and even if you do meet one, you probably won’t recognize them during travels as they tend to dress in male garments in order to reduce attention, probably the reason why men believe we have no women and have the ridiculous notion that dwarves are born out of the stone we mine. Our women are as proud, noble, and fierce as any warrior, and they are bearded as well though in most cases less than that of a male dwarf. There are exceptions of course and those who have been blessed with such a particular beard are considered to be beautiful beyond measure. I still don’t know how Glóin managed to make a wife out of Balbûna.”

“You better not be talking badly about my One, Fíli!” Glóin called back, the conversation having caught his attention at the mention of his wife’s name.

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” Fíli called back, “I can still feel where she hit me with her spoon for trying to sneak away those sweets!”

Some of the Company gave slight chuckles at the young prince’s words, remembering the day when said event happened. Refridís was intrigued by this information and was about to ask another question when Kíli said, “No, no! You said it yourself, one question from you and one question from us.”

The Bosmer gave a slight huff before motioning to them to get on with it.

“What are you not good at?” Kíli asked, “Honestly you seem to excel in almost anything you do that I wonder if you are bad at anything.”

Refridís gave a scoff and muttered something under her breath with a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, couldn’t quite hear that,” Fíli said.

“I said! I am terrible at any kind of domestic duties! Cooking, cleaning, things of that sort I just can’t do it. Nearly drove my housecarl mad with my disorganization and almost burned down my house more than a couple times when I tried my hand at baking… ” Refridís said, embarrassment turning her face a bright red, “It’s not like I try doing it on purpose, I’m just very bad at it. Wasn’t like I knew that you shouldn’t try to smother a fire with flour! Dirt is basically the same thing.”

“But you’re a hunter? And what about those berries you put in Bombur’s stew that other night?” Kíli questioned.

“It’s a rule of thumb in Skyrim that snowberries make everything taste better which is why I wasn’t too worried about adding them in. Also, just because I catch it doesn’t mean I know how to prepare it elegantly. I tend to roast what I catch over fire and have it done without any of the fancy spices that the cooks have, most I use is salt. Bombur’s cooking is the best I have ever had in a very, very long time,” Refridís explained, “Also those were three questions!”

Kíli shrugged, a look of false-innocence resting upon his face. Refridís mulled over her own question before remembering something.

“Glóin called his wife something, is it a nickname or?” Refridís asked, wishing to be on better terms with the older ginger dwarf.

“His One? No, it is not a nickname by any means. Like I mentioned before, dwarven women are rather scarce and marriage among our race is not as common. Many of us never get married, either because we don't find a woman or because we are already married to our craft. However, when we do fall in love it is when we find our One, our soulmate,” Fíli answered, a dream-like look overcoming his expression.

“Sounds like you have experience with such things then,” Refridís said.

Kíli choked on the water he was drinking from his pouch and was reduced to fits of laughter while Fíli glared at him, “No, I have not found my One yet though I do hope that I find them in the future.”

The Bosmer quickly apologized, “Sorry for the implication, I did not mean to be rude. And just how do you know you have found your One then?”

“Well… well I- I don’t know. I guess you just… _know_ , I suppose,” Fíli responded, slightly flustered at the question, “You’ll have to ask Glóin, he’s far more knowledgeable in that area though I do give you a warning. Once he starts talking about his wife, he doesn’t stop talking about her even after the moon has set. Maybe even longer.”

Refridís frowned at the answer. Though love seemed different for them, it was still a long time even by elf standards after they met that she and Faendal had figured out they had feelings for each other and even though she had loved him with all her heart, it still felt as if something was missing from their relationship. That wasn’t to say that she did not feel joy or loyalty towards him, nor did it mean that she regretted being with him for all of his years, but something did feel a little bit off when she thought about it. She had previously brushed it off as it being the fault of the dragon souls within her, something she usually did when met with emotions that made no sense to her, but she knew that particular explanation wasn’t true.

“How about your race? What are the wood elves of Skyrim like?” Kíli asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

 Refridís gave a slight nervous hiss, knowing that the customs of her race might be a bit… unsavory to others, “Anything in particular you want to know?”

“What about where they live, battle strategies, and the sort?” Fíli continued.

“The Bosmer make their homes in the moving trees of the province known as Valenwood. Our ancestors rejected the modern world and preferred to live a more simple and natural life and as a result we are viewed as barbarians. We are the smallest of the Mer races making us extremely agile and quick but we prefer to use long-range bows in battle. That is not to say that we cannot be deadly in close combat and many warring armies warn against fighting a Bosmer at close range for what we lack in strength we make up for in ferocity. In fact, armies despise fighting Bosmer due to some…questionable practices.”

“What kind of practices?” Kíli asked curiously, other dwarves listening in on the conversation as well.

“Oh I really wished you hadn’t asked,” Refridís sighed, “There is a saying that is spread all around Tamriel, ‘To eat meat given to you by a Bosmer is to invite Namira to your dinner table’. An ancient agreement known as the Green Pact followed by many Bosmer religiously says that Bosmer may only consume meat-based products and are forbidden to harm any plant for their own betterment within the confines of the Bosmeri Territory . As a result, when something with meat is brought down, dies, or gets killed, nothing goes wasted, “Refridís explained before gaining a sour look on her face and shivering in disgust, “not even in battle. I’m just glad that I wasn’t raised in Valenwood.”

As the statement sank in with the Company, looks of absolute revulsion and horror spread across their faces. Outcries began and some of the dwarves began to step away from her.

“I just said that I did not grow up in the Valenwood and do not partake in those practices!” Refridís yelled, “I am not my people and I am just as disgusted as you are.”

Tension settled down but every now and then a dwarf would look behind their back at her, making Refridís’ temper rise, “ _Well_ Kíli _asked and I wasn’t about to lie!”_

* * *

 

For the next round of questions during the journey, both heirs of Durin made sure to steer clear of questions involving the practices of wood elves and it was in the early evening after a long day of traveling that they had reached a rather thin bit of mountain pass. To make the encroaching darkness even worse, a storm had decided to break over the mountains making an already dangerous path treacherous.

“Hold on!” Thorin shouted over the pounding rain and rumbling of thunder.

Bilbo was squinting in the darkness trying to make his way through the blinding torrent of water when the slick rock beneath his feet gave way causing him to start falling into the chasm. The arms of Refridís and Dwalin shot out, grabbing the Halfling and pulling him back to safety. Dwalin gave Bilbo a warning look and Refridís whispered in his ear to be more careful where he placed his feet.

“Thorin! It is useless to go through a storm as fierce as this! We will lose members of our Company if we do not find shelter!” Refridís shouted at their leader over the howling winds.

“Watch out!” Dwalin shouted.

Refridís looked up and saw a massive boulder shatter into pieces against the mountainside. The earth shook at the impact and Refridís turned to cover Bilbo from the falling debris and pushing them against the rocky walls as stone smashed their already thin path into a sliver.

“This is no thunder storm!” she heard Balin yell over the echoes of rock as it crashed down the chasm, “It’s a thunder battle!”

The wood elf looked to where Balin was pointing and a horrified breath left her mouth as she took in the sight of a colossal being made of stone rise out of the mountain across from them.

“By the Nine, what is that?!” She screamed in question.

Bofur stood away from the wall where he had taken shelter, “Well, bless me; the legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!”

' _THESE ARE THE GIANTS OF MIDDLE-EARTH?! IS EVERYTHING BIGGER HERE?’_ Refridís thought incredulously.

The giant who had freed himself had grabbed another massive boulder and threw it with a deep, grating yell, like stone cracking beneath pressure, and Refridís turned and saw it hit another of its kind get hit in the head, causing the earth to tremble once more.

“Take cover, you’ll fall!” Thorin ordered and two dwarves dragged Bofur away from the edge.

It was soon noticed that the shaking of the earth was not caused by the impact of rock against rock-face but was instead coming from the very mountain they were standing on.

“What’s happening?” Kíli yelled, fear lacing its way through his words as the rocks began to crack and separate.

“Kíli! Grab my hand! Kee!” Fíli yelled, his hand stretched out looking for his brothers.

They gave each other terrified looks as they got farther apart and it quickly became apparent that the company was now resting upon the knees of a third stone giant. The fighting between the two giants was brutal and Refridís had lost sight of what the fate was for the other half of their company but made sure to keep a good grip on the panicking hobbit with her. It was when the opposing giant struck a fatal blow that she saw that the others standing safely on a ledge as they blurred by. It seemed however as if their half of the company was going to be crushed between the mountain side and the mountain man. Refridís used up what little magic she had recovered to throw up a master ward spell over the company, hoping it would be strong enough to protect them from what was certain to be a gruesome death.

Refridís didn’t feel it hit, all she felt was her body being flung onto the mountain ledge along with the protected bodies of her companions. There was a sharp ringing in her ears, stars danced in her vision and a painful headache had blossomed, whether if it was the sudden drain of magic or hitting the stone walls she wasn’t sure. She could hear Thorin yelling and the pounding of boots as two groups became one once more. Her thoughts immediately became clearer when she heard Bofur cry that Bilbo was missing.

By the time she was on her feet, Ori was holding a terrified Bilbo and Bofur was trying to help to pull him up but couldn’t quite reach the struggling hobbit’s hand and she slipped over the slick rocks in order to help them. She was shocked when Thorin swung himself over the ledge and helped Bilbo get a boost in order for the others to pull him up safely.

Time seemed to slow when she saw Thorin’s grip slip and he began to fall back. Her hand reached out on it’s own accord and grasp that of the dwarven king.  Thorin stared up into her eyes and dangerous thoughts once again made themselves known as she held his life in the balance.

_“Just let him go! Let him fall to his death! His insolence towards you should be punished! Let his body crack and his blood run freely like the rain that falls on this mountain!”_

Refridís growled at the voices, trying to blink them away when she saw a shocked expression on Thorin’s face. She barely noticed as Dwalin’s reached down and grabbed Thorin’s other arm, helping to bring their leader back up to steady ground.

“I thought we’d lost our burglar,” Dwalin said in between breaths.

Thorin’s next few words made Refridís bristle with anger, wishing she had listened to the voices of the dragons to let the dwarf go, “He’s been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us!”

He walked down the path a little more before finding an opening and calling for Dwalin. As the Company funneled in Thorin looked towards her with a steely glare before walking into the cave and ordering the others to check the back. Some statement that caves in the mountains were seldom unoccupied that Refridís was too furious to listen to.

The voices had grown louder with each step she took to follow them, each of them crying out for the blood of the dwarven king but were suddenly silenced when she heard a sniffle. Refridís looked behind her and watched as Bilbo shuffled in, his head bowed in shame.

“Bilbo…,” she whispered softly to him.

 “No, no, it’s quite alright. I can handle some nasty word from others, especially when they are true,” Bilbo answered, cutting her off.

“But they are not true!” She insisted.

Bilbo gave her a sad self-depreciating smile and shook his head, pleading for her to drop the subject. Her heart hurt to see the Halfling filled with such self-doubt and the fire in her belly was relit when she heard Thorin’s voice.

“Plans change,” Thorin said to Balin who had told him that they were to wait for Gandalf in the mountains, “Bofur take first watch.”

* * *

 

Refridís couldn’t sleep that night. The events of the evening still trying to settle in her mind but that wasn’t all that was keeping her up. She hadn’t noticed it before, the smell of wet rock having completely taken over her nose, but now she smelled something fouler in the air. It smelled like an old Falmer camp and her nose wrinkled at the memory of the deep tunnels in which their homes were made of. Adding on to that, below the snoring of dwarves, she could here a distinct clicking coming from beneath the ground, similar to the turning gears of a dwarven ruin when it was near enough to the surface. Her senses were awake and screaming for her to leave the place and that danger was lurking nearby but she highly doubted that she could make the sleeping dwarves get up to leave the cave and go back to the still storming sky so her grip on one of her twin swords became just a little bit tighter.

It was during these thoughts that she noticed Bilbo flip a coin in the darkness, her coin. When it landed, he gave a sigh and looked around, making sure that no one was watching before quietly getting up to roll his blanket and pack his things. She felt pain at the halfling’s leaving but knew it was not in her right to decide what he wanted to do. Bilbo grabbed his walking stick and began to leave the cave, tiptoeing over the sleeping dwarves.

' _Not even going to say good-bye…'_ Refridís thought.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she heard Bofur ask.

' _Good, maybe he’ll be able to talk some sense into him,'_ a smile creeping to her lips.

“Back to Rivendell,” Bilbo responded, a determined look on his face.

Bofur looked shocked, “No, no, you can’t turn back now! You’re part of the Company. You’re one of us!”

 “I’m not though, am I?” Bilbo responded, “Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I’m not a Took, I’m a Baggins. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door.”

At that moment, Refridís wanted to do nothing but acquaint her fist with the king’s face for making her friend doubt himself so much. Maybe her fist should be on fire too…

“You’re homesick; I understand,” Bofur said.

“No, you don’t, you don’t understand! None of you do- you’re dwarves. You used to-to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!” Bilbo responded angrily, raising his voice slightly.

The Bosmer flinched at the Hobbit’s harsh words and she saw the look of offense and sadness on the hatted dwarf’s face. It looked as if Bilbo saw the same and wanted to shove his foot in his mouth.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t…” Bilbo began to apologize, shame blocking his words.

“No, you’re right… We don’t belong anywhere…,” Bofur responded with a somber tone while looking over the sleeping dwarves, he turned to Bilbo with an honest but sad smile, “I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do.”

Bilbo gave a slight nod and began to walk away.

 “What’s that?” Bofur asked, drawing both Bilbo’s and Refridís’ attention towards the small sword around the hobbit’s hip. He unsheathed it slightly and blue light filtered into the cave.

Gandalf’s words echoed back in her mind, _“_ _The blade is of Elvish make which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby…”_

The faint clinking of gears from earlier had grown ominously loud in her distraction and Refridís saw sand start slipping in between cracks.

She heard Thorin shouting for the others to wake up but the floor of the cave was already collapsing downwards. In a desperate attempt to stop her from falling she grabbed the closest thing next to her. Warm hands grasped hers as she looked up into Kíli’s frightened eyes and both of them fell down into the gaping hole below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so it’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending but the next chapter is one that I’m super excited to write (you’ll all find out why when its posted).  
> Honestly, that White Council part, urggg, it was the part I wanted to post last chapter but couldn’t find a good way to word it without being cheesy so what came out was kind of all in the movie.
> 
> Word meaning:  
> All elven script was taken directly out of the movie script so the translations are online.  
> Gloin’s wife’s name, Balbûna, was taken from the Dwarven Scholar’s dictionary and means crystal-lady.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! If you want a question to be answered next chapter or if you simply enjoyed this chapter, make sure to leave a review!


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